*smeugan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs the infinitive *smeugan "to creep, to crawl" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *smeuganą (“to creep, to slip through”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites as *smeugan- beside *smūgan-, Orel as *smeuʒanan and Seebold as *smeug-a- beside *smūg-a-.^[3][4][5] EWA likewise reconstructs Proto-Germanic *smeu̯ǥ-e/a- beside *smūǥ-e/a-.^[6] Kroonen takes it for a strong verb influenced by, or formed back from, the iterative *smukkōn-.^[3]

Morphology

A strong verb of class II.^[7][6] Old English smūgan has the long vowel of the variant *smūgan-,^[3] and its principal parts are past singular smēag, past plural smugon and past participle smogen.^[3][6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Old English smūgan, with the prefixes þurh- and under-,^[8][7] and in Old High German only in the past participle gismogan, written ⟨chismoginiu⟩ in two glosses of the 11th century, for Latin contractus.^[6] Old Frisian has only nouns from the root, such as Old Frisian smūginge (“creeping in, stealthy entry into a house”).^[6][9] Wiktionary gives no Old Saxon form and only unattested Old Dutch ones.^[1]

Meanings

1. to creep, to crawl^[1][3]

Old English also used the verb for "to nestle",^[8] and the Old High German participle means "pressed down".^[6]

Derivatives

• *smukkjan "to press, to squeeze", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[10] Seebold traces an Old High German gloss ⟨versmuchtin⟩ for Latin ⟨attritis⟩ to a form *smukk-ja- with intensive gemination.^[5]
• Orel and Seebold derive the causative Proto-Germanic *smauʒjanan, *smaug-eja- from the verb, the source of Old English smēagan (“to consider, to ponder”).^[11][5]

Reflexes

• Old English: smūgan (“to creep, to crawl, to nestle”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: only the derived noun smūginge (“creeping in”)^[9]
• Old High German: smiogan (“to press down”), only in the past participle^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *smeugan
2. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. smiogan
3. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 458
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 354
5. ^ a b c Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. s.v. smeug-a-
6. ^ a b c d e f g Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. smiogan
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. smūgan
8. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. smūgan
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. smūginge
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *smukkjan
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 353