*sorgēn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *sorgēn "to worry, to be sad" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Ringe and Taylor reconstruct its stem as *sorgē-.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *surgāną (“to worry, to be concerned”),^[1] which Ringe and Taylor write *surgai- ~ *surgija- (perhaps *surgā-), Orel *surʒēnan and Köbler *surgēn, *swurgēn.^[2][3][4] Orel derives it from the noun *surʒō,^[3] and EWA calls Old High German sorgēn a formation to sorga (“care, sorrow”).^[5] Ringe and Taylor print that noun as Proto-Germanic *surgō "worry, sorrow" and Proto-West Germanic accusative *sorgā.^[6][7]

Morphology

A weak verb of class III, as Old High German sorgēn shows.^[2][5] Ringe and Taylor think that the replacement of the uniform stem vowel *-ē- of this class by *-ē- ~ *-ēja- may have been an innovation of all the northern West Germanic dialects, but it can be shown only for Old English, because the other northern languages moved the verbs into class II.^[8] Of this verb Old English keeps one relic, early Mercian soęrġęndi "anxious, worried" in the Épinal glossary, as Ringe and Taylor restore it, from northern West Germanic *sorgējandī; otherwise it is a class II verb, West Saxon sorgian, as is Old Saxon sorgon.^[2][9] Old Frisian and Old Dutch have class II verbs too,^[10][11] and Old High German has sorgōn beside sorgēn.^[12]

Evidence

The verb is attested as Old English sorgian,^[13] Old Frisian sorgia,^[10] Old Saxon sorgōn in the Heliand,^[14] Old Dutch sorgon, in the Old Low Franconian Psalms of the 10th century,^[15] and Old High German sorgēn.^[5]

Meanings

1. to worry, to be sad^[2][1]

Old English used the verb for "to be troubled",^[13] Old Saxon also for "to take care",^[14] Old Dutch for "to be afraid",^[11] and Old High German also for "to be anxious" and "to strive".^[16]

Reflexes

• Old English: sorgian (“to worry, to be troubled”)^[13]
• Old Frisian: sorgia (“to worry, to care”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: sorgōn (“to worry, to take care”)^[14]
• Old Dutch: sorgon (“to worry, to be afraid”)^[15]
• Old High German: sorgēn (“to be worried”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sorgēn
2. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 162
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 388
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *swurgēn
5. ^ a b c d 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. sorgên
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 27
7. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 299
8. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 161
9. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 258
10. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sorgia
11. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sorgon* 1
12. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sorgōn*
13. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sorgian
14. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sorgon 15
15. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. sorgon
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sorgēn