*werþan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct the Proto-West Germanic paradigm of *werþan "to become",^[1] and Wiktionary has the same infinitive.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to become”),^[3][4] which Kroonen cites by its stem *werþan- and Orel as *werþanan.^[5][6]

Morphology

A strong verb of class III.^[7][8] Ringe and Taylor's paradigm has the infinitive *werþan, the inflected infinitive *werþannjē, the present participle *werþandī, the present indicative *werþu, *wirþizi, *wirþidi, plural *werþum, *wirþid, *werþand, the present subjunctive *werþē, and the imperative *werþ, plural *wirþid.^[1] In the past it has *warþ in the first and third singular against *wurdī, *wurdum, *wurdud, *wurdun in the second singular and the plural, the subjunctive *wurdī, and the past participle *wordan.^[1] The second singular *wurdī replaced Proto-Germanic *warst and is continued by Old English wurde, Old Saxon wurdi and Old High German wurti.^[3] In Proto-West Germanic the strong past second singular was formed from the default past stem with an ending *-ī, one of the changes in verb inflection that Ringe and Taylor count among the morphological innovations of West Germanic, which they find even stronger evidence for West Germanic as a subgroup than the phonological ones.^[3]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English weorþan, with breaking before r and a consonant, Old Frisian wertha, Old Saxon werthan and Old High German werdan.^[4] In Old Dutch, ONW records werthan in the Old Franconian psalms of the 10th century and the North Lower Rhenish blood charm of 1001–1050, in the words "Christ was wounded".^[9]

Meanings

1. to become^[1][2]

Kroonen glosses the Proto-Germanic verb "to come about, to happen, to become", and holds that its original meaning "to turn" developed into "to become" in Germanic.^[5] Old English also used it for "to arise" and "to happen",^[10] Old Frisian as the auxiliary of the passive and of the future and for "to fall to (someone)",^[11] and Old High German for "to happen", "to arise" and "to be born".^[8]

Derivatives

• *gawerþan "to become", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Köbler lists the prefixed verb in Old English, Old Dutch, Old Saxon and Old High German, among them Old Saxon giwerthan and Old Dutch giwerthan.^[13]
• *frawerþan "to perish", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[14] Köbler lists Old English forweorþan, Old Frisian forwertha and Old Saxon farwerthan.^[15]
• *wardijan "to destroy, to ruin", which Wiktionary reconstructs as originally a causative of *werþan;^[16] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *warđjanan from the strong verb, with Old English wirdan (“to injure”) and Old High German firwerten.^[17]
• *wurdi "fate", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[18] Kroonen calls Proto-Germanic *wurdi-, the source of Old English wyrd, Old Saxon wurd and Old High German wurt, an i-stem to the root of *werþan-.^[19]

Reflexes

• Old English: weorþan (“to become, to arise, to happen”)^[10]
• Old Frisian: wertha (“to become, to happen, to fall to”)^[11]
• Old Saxon: werthan (“to become”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: werthan (“to become”)^[9]
• Old High German: werdan (“to become, to arise, to happen”)^[8]

References

1. ^ 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. 107
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *werþan
3. ^ a b c Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 67
4. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 182
5. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 581
6. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 457
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. werthan
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. werdan
9. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. werthan
10. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 390
11. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. wertha
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *gawerþan
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *gawerþan
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *frawerþan
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *farwerþan
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wardijan
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 448
18. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *wurdi
19. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 600