*spīwan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *spīwan "to spew, to spit" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *spīwaną (“to spit”),^[1][2] which Kroonen cites as *spīwan-, Orel as *spīwanan, Köbler as *speiwan, *spīwan and EWA as *spei̯u̯-e/a-.^[2][3][4][5] Kroonen finds that the Germanic forms point almost unanimously to *spīwan-; only the late and peripheral Swiss dialect of Visperterminen points to *stīwan-.^[2]

Morphology

A strong verb of class I.^[6][5] EWA gives the Old English past as spāw, plural spiwon.^[5] Old High German also has spīan, without the w.^[7]

Evidence

The verb is attested as Old English spīwan,^[6] Old Frisian spīa,^[8] Old Saxon spīwan, once in the Heliand in the past plural spiuuun,^[9][10] and Old High German spīwan, from the 9th century.^[5] Wiktionary gives Old Dutch only reconstructed forms.^[1] EWA records Middle Dutch spiën, beside which the weak verb spuwen took over in Dutch from the Middle Dutch period.^[5]

Meanings

1. to spew, to spit^[1]

Old English also used the verb for "to vomit",^[6] and Old High German for "to vomit" and "to spit at".^[5]

Derivatives

• Orel derives Proto-Germanic *spiwōn (“vomit”) from the verb, with Old English spiwe and Old High German spīwa.^[3] The Old High German noun, meaning "spitting, vomit", is recorded from the end of the 8th century.^[11]

Reflexes

• Old English: spīwan (“to spit, to vomit”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: spīa (“to spit”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: spīwan (“to spit”)^[10]
• Old High German: spīwan (“to spit, to vomit, to spit at”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *spīwan
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 468
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 365
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *speiwan
5. ^ 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. spîwan
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spīwan
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spīwan* 11
8. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. spīa
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spīwan* 1
10. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. spiwan
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spīwa