𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (bairan), a strong verb of the fourth class.^[1][2][3] The preterite singular is 𐌱𐌰𐍂 (bar) and the preterite plural 𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌿𐌼 (berum); the past participle occurs only in compounds, as 𐌿𐍄𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌰 (utbaurana) and 𐌿𐌽𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌽𐍃 (unbaurans).^[4][5] The Wulfila project counts eighteen forms, the commonest being 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐌸 (bairiþ, eleven times), 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (bairan, six times), 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸 (bairaiþ) and 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 (bairandans), five times each, and 𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌿𐌽 (berun, four times).^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *beraną (“to carry, bear”),^[7][8][9] from Proto-Indo-European *bʰér-e- (“to carry”).^[8][9] The Germanic cognates are Old Norse bera, Old English beran, Old Frisian bera, Old Saxon beran and Old High German beran.^[8][9] The verb is found all over Indo-European:^[10] Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō), Latin ferō and Old Irish beirid are among its cognates.^[8][5][11]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 51 tokens, in the Gospels, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians and 1 Timothy, in manuscripts CA, A, B and Car.^[6] Köbler counts 46 records.^[6][2] The first in canonical order is Matthew 5:23.^[6] Of PROIEL's 44 tokens, 15 render Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō), 10 βαστάζω (bastázō), 6 καρποφορέω (karpophoréō), 4 φορέω (phoréō) and 3 each προσφέρω (prosphérō) and τίκτω (tíktō).^[12] Matthew 5:23 begins jabai nu bairais aibr þein du hunslastada, "so if you bring your gift to the altar".^[13]

Meanings

1. To carry, bear, in the hand or on the shoulders, for βαστάζω and φορέω.^[14][1][15]
2. To endure, suffer.^[14][2]
3. To bring a person or a thing (to someone), for φέρω and προσφέρω.^[14][15]
4. To bring forth, yield: akran bairan "to bear fruit", for καρποφορέω.^[15][2]
5. To give birth, for τίκτω.^[2][12] Streitberg reads it as imperfective, "to be in labour".^[1][2]
6. With a noun for "accusation" and the preposition ana, to bring an accusation against someone (John 18:29).^[15]

Word family

• 𐌰𐍄𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (atbairan, “to bring, offer”)
• 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (frabairan, “to endure”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (gabairan, “to give birth; to compare”)
• 𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐍄𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (innatbairan, “to bring in”)
• 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌷𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (þairhbairan, “to carry through”)
• 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (usbairan, “to carry out”)
• 𐌿𐍄𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (utbairan)
• 𐌿𐌽𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (unbairands, “not bearing”)
• 𐌿𐌽𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌽𐍃 (unbaurans, “unborn”)

Related words

• 𐌱𐌰𐍂𐌽 (barn)
• 𐌱𐌰𐍂𐌼𐍃 (barms)
• 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂 (baur)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍃 (gabaurþs)
• 𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌿𐍃𐌾𐍉𐍃 (berusjos)

References

1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. bairan
2. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. baíran
3. ^ Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, p. 171
4. ^ 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. bairan
5. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. bairan
6. ^ a b c d 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
7. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽
8. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 59
9. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 41
10. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. s.v. baíran
11. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. bairan
12. ^ a b 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
13. ^ 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. Mt 5:23
14. ^ a b c Balg, G. H. (1887–1889), A Comparative Glossary of the Gothic Language, with Especial Reference to English and German, Mayville, Wis.: the author, p. 40
15. ^ a b c d Schulze, Ernst (1867), Gothisches Wörterbuch nebst Flexionslehre, Züllichau: Darnmann, p. 26