𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (garēdan), a strong verb of class VII with reduplication and ablaut.^[1][2][3] The only form of this compound is the nominative plural masculine of the present participle, 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 (garedandans).^[3][4] The preterite of the verb is known from the compound 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (fauragaredan), with the third person singular 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍉𐌸 (fauragarairoþ) at Ephesians 1:5.^[4][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *garēdaną (“to advise”),^[6][3] formed with the prefix 𐌲𐌰- (ga-) on a simple verb *𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (*rēdan) that Gothic does not record on its own.^[6][7] That verb is continued by Old Norse ráða, Old English rǣdan, Old Frisian rēda, Old Saxon rādan and Old High German rātan, all meaning "to advise" or "to take care of".^[8][9][10] Kroonen sets up a Proto-Germanic strong verb *rēdan- (“to decide”) from Proto-Indo-European *Hréh₁dʰ-e-, with a Sanskrit verb meaning "to succeed" and an Avestan aorist as cognates.^[10] Lehmann and Köbler give the root as Proto-Indo-European *rēdʰ- (“to fit together, to prepare”), an extension of a root meaning "to reckon", the source also of Latin reor (“to think”).^[11][3] Outside Germanic Feist and Orel also compare Old Irish imm-rádaim (“to think over”) and Proto-Slavic *raditi (“to care for”).^[8][9]

Attestation

The word occurs only once, at 2 Corinthians 8:21, which survives in manuscripts A and B; the Wulfila project counts the two copies as two tokens.^[12][3] It renders Ancient Greek προνοέω (pronoéō, “to think of beforehand”).^[13][3] The verse begins 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌰𐌿𐌺 𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌰 𐌽𐌹 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹 𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌾𐌰 𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌹𐍃 (garedandans auk goda ni þatainei in andwairþja gudis), "for taking thought for good things not only before God".^[14]

Meanings

1. to provide for, take forethought for, aim at (for προνοέω)^[3][15][1]
2. to intend, plan^[6][15]

Word family

• 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (fauragaredan, “to predetermine”)

Borrowings into other languages

• French: corroyer, possibly, through a Late Latin verb meaning "to prepare"^[16]

Related words

• 𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (undredan, “to provide, grant”)
• 𐌿𐍂𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽 (urredan, “to determine”)
• 𐍂𐍉𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (rodjan, “to speak”)

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. ga-redan
2. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. ga-rēdan
3. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. garēdan
4. ^ a b Miller, D. Gary (2019), The Oxford Gothic Grammar, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 190
5. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck, p. § 236
6. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌽
7. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 60
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ga-redan
9. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *rēđanan
10. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 408
11. ^ 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. ga-redan
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
13. ^ 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
14. ^ 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. 2Cor 8:21
15. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 126
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. corroyer