*stiurijan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *stiurijan "to steer, to direct" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *stiurijaną (“to steer, to direct”),^[2][1] which Kroonen cites as *steurjan- and Orel as *steurjanan.^[3][4] Ringe and Taylor give the form *stiurijaną for Proto-Northwest Germanic.^[2] Kroonen takes the verb for probably a factitive formed to a noun such as *steurō-, retrieved from Old English stēor (“direction, guidance”) and Old High German stiura (“steering oar; post, support”);^[3] EWA likewise derives the Old High German verb from stiura,^[5] and Orel derives the Proto-Germanic verb from *steur(j)an ~ *steurō.^[4]

Morphology

A weak verb of class I.^[5][6][7]

Evidence

The verb is found in Old English stīeran, Old Frisian stiūra, Old Dutch stiuren and Old High German stiuren.^[2][5] Ringe and Taylor trace the Old English forms through *stīorjąn, with West Saxon *stīerjan > stīeran and Anglian *stīorjan > Mercian stēoran.^[2] Old Frisian has both stiūra and stiōra,^[7] which Boutkan takes for spelling and probably phonetic variants.^[8] In Old Dutch, ONW has the plural imperative ⟨stiured⟩ in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[9] EWA finds the Old High German verb in the Abrogans and other glosses.^[5] For Old Saxon, Kroonen lists only the prefixed Old Saxon gi-stiurian (“to show the way”),^[3] and Wiktionary gives the simple verb as unattested.^[1]

Competing analyses

The origin of the noun behind the verb is uncertain.^[10][3] Orel takes it for a substantivised adjective *steuraz, which he sees in the Gothic adverb ⟨us-stiuriba⟩ "dissolutely", and compares Sanskrit and Armenian words for "thick".^[4] Kroonen finds no clear etymology and rejects the received comparison with Sanskrit "standing, firm, thick", which he assigns to the family of *stōra- ~ *stura-.^[3]

Meanings

1. to steer, to direct^[2][1]

Old English also used the verb for "to govern", "to restrain" and "to punish",^[11] Old Frisian for "to ward off, to hinder",^[7] and Old High German for "to support, to sustain".^[5]

Derivatives

• *balwastiurīg "unmanageable, unruly", which Wiktionary reconstructs from *balwa- "mis-", *stiurijan and the suffix *-g.^[12]
• The prefixed verb is found as Old High German gistiuren from the first half of the 9th century, and as Old English gestēoran.^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: stīeran (“to steer, to direct, to govern, to restrain, to punish”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: stiūra (“to steer; to ward off, to hinder”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: stiuren (“to steer, to direct”)^[9]
• Old High German: stiuren (“to steer, to direct, to support”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stiurijan
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. 250
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. 479
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 377
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. stiuren
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. stīeran
7. ^ a b c d Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. stiūra
8. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. stiora
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. stiuren
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *stiurijaną
11. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. stieran
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *balwastiurīg