*wardēn

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *wardēn "to guard, to watch over" for Proto-West Germanic, formed from *wardu "protection" with the suffix *-ēn.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *wardāną (“to guard, to watch over”),^[1] which Köbler cites as *wardēn, *wardǣn, *wardōn and Orel as *warđōjanan.^[2][3]

Morphology

A weak verb, of class III in Old High German wartēn^[4] but of class II in Old English weardian, Old Frisian wardia and Old Saxon wardon.^[5][6][7]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English weardian,^[8] Old Frisian wardia,^[9] Old Saxon wardon, in the Heliand,^[7] and Old High German wartēn, from the late 8th century.^[4] In Old Dutch, ONW records wardon in Williram's commentary of about 1100, and ONW also lists a reconstructed *wardon "to guard", taken from the FEW.^[10] Gamillscheg's Romania Germanica treats Frankish *wardōn in the same place as French garder and its older form ⟨warder⟩.^[11][12]

Competing analyses

The class of the verb is uncertain: Wiktionary's *wardēn follows the class III verb of Old High German,^[1] while Orel sets up a class II *warđōjanan and derives it from a noun *warđaz or *warđō(n);^[3] Köbler gives both *wardēn and *wardōn.^[2] Köbler traces Old Saxon wardon to *wardēn,^[7] but Old English weardian and Old Frisian wardia to *wardōn.^[5][6]

Meanings

1. to guard, to protect, to watch over^[1]

Old English also used the verb for "to hold" and "to inhabit",^[8] Old Frisian for "to wait" and "to care for",^[9] Old Saxon for "to beware",^[7] and Old High German for "to look at", "to observe" and "to wait for".^[4]

Reflexes

• Old English: weardian (“to wait, to guard, to protect, to hold, to inhabit”)^[8]
• Old Frisian: wardia (“to wait, to observe, to care for”)^[9]
• Old Saxon: wardon (“to beware, to care for, to protect, to watch”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: wardon (“to keep watch”)^[10]
• Old High German: wartēn (“to see, to look at, to observe, to guard, to wait for”)^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wardēn
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *wardēn
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 448
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wartēn
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. weardian
6. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wardia
7. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. wardon
8. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. weardian
9. ^ a b c Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wardia
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. wardon
11. ^ Gamillscheg, Ernst (1970), Romania Germanica: Sprach- und Siedlungsgeschichte der Germanen auf dem Boden des alten Römerreichs, vol. 1: Zu den ältesten Berührungen zwischen Römern und Germanen. Die Franken, 2nd ed., Berlin: de Gruyter, p. 451
12. ^ Gamillscheg, Ernst (1970), Romania Germanica: Sprach- und Siedlungsgeschichte der Germanen auf dem Boden des alten Römerreichs, vol. 1: Zu den ältesten Berührungen zwischen Römern und Germanen. Die Franken, 2nd ed., Berlin: de Gruyter, p. 435