𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃

Forms

𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (gamains), an adjective with i- and ja-stem forms.^[1][2][3][4] Köbler records the nominative singular 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (gamains), the neuter 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽 (gamain), 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰 (gamainja), the dative singular feminine 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌹 (gamainjai) and the dative plural 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌼 (gamainjaim).^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *gamainiz (“shared, common”),^[5][2] with the prefix 𐌲𐌰- (ga-) before an adjective meaning "common".^[6][7] Its cognates are Old English gemǣne (whence mean), Old Frisian mēne, Old Saxon gimēni and Old High German gimeini.^[6][7][8] Feist finds an exact match in Latin commūnis (“common”), and Kroonen sets up Proto-Indo-European *kom-moi-no- for both.^[7][6] The simple adjective survives with a bad sense in Old Norse meinn (“harmful”) and Old High German mein (“false”), and the noun in Old English mān (“crime”).^[7][9] Feist and Lehmann take the root to be *mey- (“to exchange”), whose basic sense appears in Lithuanian mainas (“exchange”).^[7][9][2] Lehmann explains the Germanic sense "harm, deceit" by a development from "exchange" also seen in Sanskrit, and mūnus (“duty, office”) in Latin by a different one.^[9]

Attestation

Köbler counts six records, in Mark, Romans, Philippians, Titus and the Skeireins; the Wulfila project counts 12 tokens, of which 8 it cannot assign with certainty, in Mark, Romans, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus and the Skeireins.^[2][10] The manuscripts are CA, A, B, Car and E.^[10] In canonical order the first is the dative plural gamainjaim at Mark 7:2.^[10][2] In the Gospels and Epistles it renders Ancient Greek κοινός (koinós) three times, Ancient Greek συγκοινωνός (sunkoinōnós) once and, in gamainjana briggan, Ancient Greek συγκοινωνέω (sunkoinōnéō) once.^[11][2] Mark 7:2 reads gamainjaim handum þat~ist unþwahanaim matjandans hlaibans, "eating bread with common, that is unwashed, hands".^[12]

Meanings

1. common, shared, for Ancient Greek κοινός (koinós).^[1][2][5]
2. Sharing, taking part, for Ancient Greek συγκοινωνός (sunkoinōnós), also in gamainjana briggan "to take part".^[3][2]
3. unclean, profane, of hands not ritually washed.^[1][13][5]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌿𐌸𐍃 (gamainduþs, “community”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹 (gamainei, “fellowship”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃 (gamainþs, “congregation”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰 (gamainja, “partaker”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gamainjan, “to share; to defile”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gagamainjan, “to defile”)

Related words

• 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (maidjan, “to change, falsify”)
• 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌼𐍃 (maiþms, “gift”)
• 𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍃𐍉 (missō, “mutually”)

References

1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. gamains
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. gamains
3. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 69
4. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck, p. § 159
5. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃
6. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 348
7. ^ a b c d e Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. gamains
8. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 66
9. ^ a b c 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. gamains
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. Mk 7:2
13. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. gamains