*wāpn

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *wāpn for Proto-West Germanic,^[1][2] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *wēpną (“weapon”),^[1] which Kroonen cites as *wēbna- ~ *wēpna- and Orel as *wēpnan.^[4][5] In fully stressed syllables Proto-Germanic *ē was lowered and backed to *ā in Proto-Northwest Germanic, and Ringe and Taylor give *wēpną, plural *wēpnō, as a typical example: it became Proto-Northwest Germanic *wāpną, continued by Old Norse vápn as well as by the West Germanic words.^[6] Proto-West Germanic *wāpn followed from it.^[1]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[7][8][9] In Old English, a vowel developed between the final consonant and n in some words; after heavy syllables there was much variation, as in West Saxon wǣpn ~ wǣpen beside Mercian wēpen in the Vespasian Psalter.^[2] Some of this variation is dialectal: early West Saxon of about 900 has forms without the vowel after heavy syllables, while the Mercian of the Vespasian Psalter seems to have it throughout.^[2]

Evidence

The noun is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English wǣpen, Old Frisian wēpin, Old Saxon wāpan and Old High German wāfan,^[2] and Old Dutch wāpan in the Middle Franconian Rhyme Bible of 1151–1200.^[10] In West Saxon the *ā was fronted to ǣ, while Mercian, Kentish and Old Frisian have ē.^[1] Old English also has wǣmn, and Old Norse vámn and vákn beside vápn.^[4] Kroonen takes the alternation between *wēbna- and *wēpna- to point to an earlier n-stem, nominative *wēbō, genitive *wēp(p)az, that was made a thematic stem; since Gothic ⟨wepn⟩ shares the form, this must have happened unusually early, before the other such changes of North and West Germanic.^[4]

Competing analyses

The origin of the Proto-Germanic noun is unknown to Köbler and uncertain to Wiktionary.^[11][12] Orel relates it to Tocharian B ⟨yepe⟩ "weapon, knife", after van Windekens.^[5] Berr compares Welsh ⟨chwifio⟩ "to wave, to brandish".^[13]

Meanings

1. weapon^[1][3]

Old English also used the word for "penis",^[7] Old Frisian for "tool",^[14] and Old High German for "sword, dagger" and "force of arms".^[9]

Derivatives

• *wāpnōn and *wāpnijan "to arm, to take up weapons", which Wiktionary reconstructs from Proto-Germanic *wēpnōną and *wēpnijaną.^[15][16] Boutkan lists Old English wǣpnian, Old Frisian wēpnia and Old High German wāfanōn.^[17]
• *wāpnalaus "weaponless, unarmed", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[18] Orel sets up Proto-Germanic *wēpna-lausaz for Old English wǣpenlēas and its cognates.^[5]
• *gawāpnī "weaponry, arms", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[19] Berr gives the collectives Old Saxon giwāpni and Old High German giwāfani "armour".^[13]

Reflexes

• Old English: wǣpen (“weapon, penis”)^[7]
• Old Frisian: wēpen (“weapon, tool”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: wāpan (“weapon”)^[13]
• Old Dutch: wāpan (“weapon”)^[10]
• Old High German: wāfan (“weapon, sword, dagger, force of arms”)^[9]

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. 149
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 331
3. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wāpn
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 577
5. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 461
6. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 10
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wǣpen
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wāpan
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wāfan
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. wāpan
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wēpna-
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wēpną
13. ^ a b c Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 436
14. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wēpen
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wāpnōn
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wāpnijan
17. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. wepin
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wāpnalaus
19. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gawāpnī