𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸

Forms

𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (awiliuþ), a neuter a-stem noun, genitive awiliudis.^[1][2][3] The Wulfila project records 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌼 (awiliudam, seven times), 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰 (awiliuda, four times), 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (awiliuþ, three times) and 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌴 (awiliude, once);^[4] Köbler also lists the accusative 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌳 (awiliud) in manuscript B.^[3] The final -þ alternates with -d- before an ending, which Orel traces to a Germanic *-đ-.^[5]

Etymology

It is a compound from Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌹- (awi-) + 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (liuþ, “song”) whose first element is uncertain.^[6] The second part is the common Germanic word for "song", Proto-Germanic *leuþą, continued by Old Norse ljóð, Old English lēoþ and Old High German liod;^[7][5] Lehmann, after Schwarz, starts from the sense "song of praise".^[8] For the first element Uhlenbeck and Lehmann compare the Gaulish name Avicantus, Old Irish con-ói (“protects”) and Latin aveō.^[7][8] Lehmann and Kroonen also cite Proto-Norse ᚨᚢᛃᚨ (auja, “good fortune”),^[6] and Lehmann reports that Grimm first connected Old Saxon ālat (“thanks”), then rejected the comparison, while Sehrt and Holthausen maintained it.^[8][9] Wiktionary mentions Proto-Germanic *awi- (“help, thanks”), perhaps borrowed as Proto-Finnic *api (“help”).^[6]

Attestation

The word occurs fifteen times by the Wulfila project's count, only in the Epistles: once in 1 Corinthians, three times in 2 Corinthians, once each in Ephesians, Colossians and 1 Thessalonians, twice in Philippians and six times in 1 Timothy.^[4] Köbler counts sixteen records.^[3] The records are in manuscripts A (seven) and B (eight), and the first in canonical order is 1 Corinthians 15:57 in A.^[4] It renders Ancient Greek εὐχαριστία (eukharistía) nine times and χάρις (kháris) four times.^[10] 1 Corinthians 15:57 reads iþ guda awiliuþ, "but thanks be to God".^[11]

Meanings

1. thanksgiving, a prayer of gratitude, for Greek εὐχαριστία.^[1][2][3]
2. thanks, for Greek χάρις.^[3][8]

Related words

• 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌳𐍉𐌽 (awiliudōn)
• 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸𐍉𐌽 (liuþōn)

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. awiliuþ
2. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 43
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. awiliuþ
4. ^ a b c De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 243
6. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸
7. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 21
8. ^ a b c d Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. awi-liuþ
9. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 43
10. ^ Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
11. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. 1Cor 15:57