*sumar

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *sumar for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sumaraz (“summer”),^[2][3] which Kroonen cites by its stem *sumara-, Köbler as *sumara- or *sumera-, and EWA as *sumera-.^[3][4][5] Ringe and Taylor cite the word as an example of the northern West Germanic dialects, where an intervocalic nasal normally prevented the lowering of a preceding *u even before a non-high vowel: Old English sumor, Old Frisian sumur, Old Saxon sumar.^[2] They take Old High German sumar for one of the sporadic cases of u in the southern dialects, which suggest that the lowering simply failed before intervocalic nasals.^[2]

Morphology

A strong masculine noun of the a-stems.^[5][6] Old English often inflects it as a u-stem after winter, but EWA holds that it was not originally a u-stem.^[5] Old Norse has a neuter sumar beside a masculine sumarr.^[5]

Evidence

The word is attested in Old English sumor, Old Frisian sumur, Old Saxon sumar and Old High German sumar.^[2] Old High German has it from the third quarter of the 8th century in glosses,^[5] and Old Saxon in the Heliand.^[6] Old Frisian also has sumer, somer, simer and semer;^[7] Boutkan and Siebinga explain the Old West Frisian form with o by the lowering of *u to o before nasals there.^[8]

Meanings

1. summer^[1][2]

Old High German and Old Frisian used the genitive adverbially for "in summer".^[5][7]

Derivatives

• *sumarōn "to become summer, to spend the summer", which Wiktionary reconstructs.^[1]
• Wiktionary reconstructs Proto-Germanic *midjasumaraz (“midsummer”) behind Old English midsumor;^[9] Old Frisian has the compound midsumer.^[7]
• Old Saxon sumarlang (“length of summer”).^[10]

Reflexes

• Old English: sumor (“summer”)^[11]
• Old Frisian: sumer (“summer”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: sumar (“summer”)^[10]
• Old High German: sumar (“summer”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sumar
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. 31
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 491
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *sumera-
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. sumar
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. sumar
7. ^ a b c d Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sumer
8. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. sumur
9. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *sumaraz
10. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 387
11. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. sumor