*spilōn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *spilōn "to play; to dance, move".^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Proto-West Germanic *spil (“game, play, dance”) + *-ōn.^[1] Köbler sets up a Germanic weak verb Proto-Germanic *spilōn (“to play, to dance, to move”) of unknown etymology, with reflexes only in West Germanic languages.^[2] For the noun, EWA reconstructs West Germanic *spil-a- and suggests that it was formed, in place of an expected Proto-Germanic *spel-a-, after a weak verb Proto-Germanic *spel-i̯e/a-, West Germanic *spil-i̯e/a-.^[3]

Morphology

A weak verb of class II.^[4][5][6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Old English spilian, Old Frisian spilia, Old Saxon spilōn and Old High German spilōn.^[7] Old Saxon has it once, in the Heliand, of the girl who danced through the house.^[5] Old Dutch has the noun spil in the North-East Lower Rhenish Prudentius glosses of 951–1000,^[8] and Wiktionary gives the verb only as a reconstruction.^[1] EWA infers an Old English noun *spil from the verb, and finds the noun in the North Germanic languages only as a late loan from Middle Low German.^[3]

Meanings

1. to play^[1][2]
2. to dance, to move^[1][2]

Berr takes the original meaning of the noun to be "dance", movement in different directions,^[9] and EWA calls "dance" the usual assumption for the basic meaning of the West Germanic word.^[3] Old High German also used the verb for "to fight", "to leap" and "to frolic",^[6] and Old Frisian for "to carry on".^[10]

Reflexes

• Old English: spilian (“to play”)^[7]
• Old Frisian: spilia (“to play, to carry on”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: spilōn (“to move, to dance”)^[5]
• Old High German: spilōn (“to play, to fight, to move, to leap, to dance”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *spilōn
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *spilōn
3. ^ a b c 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. spil
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spilian
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spilōn
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. spilōn
7. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. spilian
8. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. spil
9. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 373
10. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. spilia