*strātu

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *strātu for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin strāta (“paved (road)”), from the phrase via strāta (“paved road”).^[1][3] EWA explains the Latin word as the feminine past participle of sternō (“to spread, to strew, to level”), used as a noun once the governing via was dropped, and notes that Medieval Latin already used the participle alone for "paved road, military road".^[4] Green counts it among the words for lines of communication taken over from the Roman military world, and points out that many German and English place names containing it owe their origin to a Roman road that passed through them.^[3] In the northern West Germanic dialects the long *ā of the word was fronted, giving West Saxon Old English strǣt, Northumbrian and Kentish strēt and Old Frisian strēte, while Old Saxon strāta and Old High German strāʒa keep the ā.^[5]

Morphology

A feminine ō-stem.^[1] In Old High German the noun is an ō- and n-stem,^[4] and in Old Saxon a weak feminine.^[6]

Evidence

The word is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English strǣt, Old Frisian strēte, Old Saxon strāta and Old High German strāʒa.^[1] Old High German has it in glosses from the late 8th century on.^[4] ONW records Old Dutch strāta from 875, in forms both with and without the High German consonant shift, such as ⟨straton⟩ in the Old Middle and Low Franconian psalms of the 10th century and ⟨strazan⟩ in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[7] EWA takes the North Germanic forms, such as Old Norse strǽti, to be borrowed through Old English or Old Frisian.^[4]

Meanings

1. paved road^[5][2]
2. Roman road^[1]

Green glosses the Old English word "military road".^[3] Old High German also used it for "way, path" and "square",^[8] and Old Frisian for a street in a village, a road in the country and a route.^[9]

Reflexes

• Old English: strǣt (“street, road”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: strēte (“street, road, route”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: strāta (“street”)^[11]
• Old Dutch: strāta (“street”)^[7]
• Old High German: strāza (“paved street, way, road”)^[4]

References

1. ^ 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. 136
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *strātu
3. ^ a b c Green, D. H. (1998), Language and History in the Early Germanic World, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 233
4. ^ a b c d e 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. strâza
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 150
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. strāta
7. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. strāta
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. strāza
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. strēte
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. strǣt
11. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 383