*wahsan

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *wahsan "to grow" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *wahsijaną (“to grow”),^[1][2] the verb behind Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wahsjan).^[2][3] Ringe and Taylor write the Proto-Germanic verb *wahsijaną and set up Proto-Northwest Germanic *wahsaną in its place, the source of Old Norse, Old Saxon and Old High German forms; in Old English it became *wæhsan and then weaxan.^[2][4] Kroonen cites the verb as *wahs(j)an-, Köbler as *wahsjan or *wahsan, and Seebold as *wahs-ja- beside *wahs-a-.^[5][6][7]

Morphology

A strong verb of class VI.^[8][9] Seebold gives the past as Old Saxon wōhs and Old High German wuohs, while Old English has weox, with a past in ō in the Lindisfarne glosses.^[7] Köbler classes the Old English verb as reduplicating.^[10]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English weaxan, Old Frisian waxa, Old Saxon wahsan and Old High German wahsan,^[7] and Old Dutch wahsan in the Old Low Franconian psalms of the 9th century.^[11] ONW records it as wassan in Williram's commentary of about 1100.^[12] Old High German has it from 765, in glosses.^[13] Northumbrian has wæxa, and early Mercian the third singular present wæxit in the Corpus Glossary.^[4]

Competing analyses

Which present is older is disputed.^[2][5] Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the j-present for Proto-Germanic, as in Gothic, and the simple present for Proto-Northwest Germanic.^[2] Kroonen finds the dialects varying between the simple present *wahsan- and the j-present *wahsjan-, which he calls apparently secondary.^[5] Seebold sees a reflex of a present like the Gothic one in rare weak forms in Norwegian and Old Swedish.^[7]

Meanings

1. to grow^[2][1]

Old English also used the verb for "to increase, to become powerful",^[10] and Old Frisian for "to increase" and of anger rising.^[14]

Derivatives

• *wahsti "size, growth", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[15] Seebold lists Old High German giwahst (“growth”) among the derivatives of the verb.^[7]
• Ringe and Taylor reconstruct (post-)Proto-West Germanic *wahstm "growth, increase", which became *wastm, the source of Old English wæstm and Old Saxon wastum.^[16][17] Seebold lists this noun with the verb.^[7]
• Kroonen sets up Proto-Germanic *wahsman- for Old Dutch wahsmo and Old High German wahsamo (“growth, fruit”).^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: weaxan (“to grow, to increase, to become powerful”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: waxa (“to grow, to increase”)^[14]
• Old Saxon: wahsan (“to grow”)^[18]
• Old Dutch: wassan (“to grow”)^[12]
• Old High German: wahsan (“to grow”)^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wahsan
2. ^ a b c d e f Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 176
3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wahsijaną
4. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 312
5. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 566
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wahsjan
7. ^ a b c d e f Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. s.v. wahs-ja-
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wahsan
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. waxa
10. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. weaxan
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wahsan
12. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. wassan
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wahsan
14. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. waxa
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wahsti
16. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 157
17. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 332
18. ^ Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 432