𐌱𐌰𐌹

Forms

𐌱𐌰𐌹 (bai), a collective numeral meaning "both", inflected in the plural like an adjective.^[1][2][3] The recorded forms are the masculine nominative 𐌱𐌰𐌹 (bai), the dative 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌼 (baim), the masculine accusative 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐍃 (bans) and the neuter nominative and accusative 𐌱𐌰 (ba).^[1][4] Köbler gives a feminine 𐌱𐍉𐍃 (bōs), which is not attested.^[1] Lambdin assumes that the word was inflected like twai "two".^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *bai (“both”).^[5][6] The Germanic cognates include Old Norse báðir in Old Norse, Old English bēgen and bā in Old English, Old Frisian bēthe in Old Frisian, Old Saxon bēthia in Old Saxon and Old High German beide in Old High German.^[6][7] Lehmann and Feist hold, following Meringer, that the word was originally a dual, like 𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌹 (twai, “two”).^[8][9] Kroonen reconstructs the Proto-Germanic paradigm with the old dual endings replaced by the ordinary pronominal plural endings.^[6] Outside Germanic the word is related to Lithuanian abù in Lithuanian, Latin ambō in Latin and Ancient Greek ἄμφω (ámphō) in Ancient Greek, but the beginning of these words is difficult, and Uhlenbeck calls the problem unsolved.^[7][9] Feist suggests that Germanic lost a first syllable that the other languages kept, or, more probably, that the other languages added a particle to an older root.^[9] Köbler and Lehmann set up Proto-Indo-European *bʰōu (“both”), and Kroonen explains the Lithuanian, Latin and Greek forms as different prefixed formations from a root *bʰo-.^[1][8][6]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts nine tokens: five in Luke, in manuscript CA, and four in Ephesians, in manuscripts A and B.^[10] Köbler counts seven records, counting Ephesians 2:14 and 2:16 once each.^[1] The first in canonical order is the neuter ba at Luke 1:6.^[10] PROIEL aligns all seven of its tokens with Ancient Greek ἀμφότεροι (amphóteroi).^[11] Luke 1:7 reads jah ba framaldra dage seinaize wesun, "and both were advanced in their days".^[12]

Meanings

1. both, the one and the other of two, for ἀμφότεροι^[2][1][5]

Related words

• 𐌱𐌰𐌾𐍉𐌸𐍃 (bajōþs, “both”)

Usage notes

Bai and bajōþs are both collective numerals, which Wulfila and Köbler list as separate lemmas: the Wulfila project counts six tokens of bajōþs, Köbler five records.^[10][13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. bai 1
2. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. bai
3. ^ Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 44
4. ^ a b Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, p. 37
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌱𐌰𐌹
6. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 46
7. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 22
8. ^ a b 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. bai
9. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. bai
10. ^ 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
11. ^ 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
12. ^ 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. Lk 1:7
13. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. bajōþs