*stīgan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *stīgan "to climb, to ascend".^[1] It continues inherited from Proto-Germanic *stīganą (“to go up, to climb”),^[2][3] which Kroonen cites as *stīgan-, Orel as *stīʒanan and Köbler as *steigan, *stīgan.^[2][3][4] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the prefixed Proto-West Germanic verb *gastīgan.^[5]

Morphology

A strong verb of class I.^[6][7] Old High German, Old Saxon and Old English keep the strong past with the ablaut of this class, and Old English occasionally inflects the verb as weak.^[6]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English stīgan, Old Frisian stīga, Old Saxon stīgan, Old Dutch stīgan and Old High German stīgan.^[2][6] Old High German has it from the third quarter of the 8th century,^[6] and Old Saxon in the Heliand.^[8] Old Frisian has only forms of the present.^[6] In Old Dutch the simplex is recorded in Williram's commentary of about 1100,^[9] and the prefixed verbs for "to ascend" and "to descend" in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 9th century.^[10][11]

Meanings

1. to climb, to ascend^[1][2]

Old English also used the verb for "to rise" and "to go",^[12] and Old High German also for "to climb down, to descend".^[6]

Derivatives

• *gastīgan "to climb onto, to climb into", which Ringe and Taylor derive from Proto-Germanic *gastīganą, beside Old Saxon gistīgan, Old High German gistīgan and Old English ġestīgan.^[5]
• *stigi "a climbing, an ascent", which Wiktionary reconstructs as an action noun from the verb, behind Old English stiġe;^[13] Köbler gives the Old English noun, "ascent, descent", with the verb.^[14]

Reflexes

• Old English: stīgan (“to climb, to rise, to go”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: stīga (“to climb”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: stīgan (“to climb, to rise, to ascend”)^[8]
• Old Dutch: stīgan (“to climb, to go up”)^[9]
• Old High German: stīgan (“to climb up, to ascend, to descend”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stīgan
2. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 479
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 378
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *steigan
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 335
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. stîgan
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stīgan
8. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. stigan
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. stīgan
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. upstīgan
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. nitherstīgan
12. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. stīgan
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stigi
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stige
15. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. stīga