𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þagkjan), an irregular weak verb of the first class, without a connecting vowel in the preterite.^[1][2][3] The principal parts are the preterite 𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌰 (þāhta) and the past participle 𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (þāhts).^[1][2][4] Besides the usual spelling, Mark 8:17 has 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌸 (þaggkeiþ) and Luke 14:31 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌸 (þankeiþ).^[1][5] Köbler lists, among others, 𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌰 (þahta) twice and 𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 (þahtedun) four times.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *þankijaną (“to perceive, to think”),^[6][5] with the umlauted present seen in Old Norse þekkja (“to perceive, know”), Old English þencan, Old Frisian thenza, Old Saxon thenkian and Old High German denken (“to think”).^[7][8] The root is Proto-Indo-European *teng- (“to think, feel”), found mainly in Germanic;^[6][7] outside it the usual comparison is Old Latin tongeō (“to know”) and an Oscan word for "opinion", where Lehmann notes phonological difficulties.^[7][9][8] Lehmann thinks a link with a Tocharian A word for "love" unlikely and rejects one with Old Irish tongu (“I swear”).^[7]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 17 tokens, Köbler 19 (with the two variant spellings): seven in Luke, three in Mark, one in John and six in 2 Corinthians.^[10][5] The Gospel records are in manuscript CA, the 2 Corinthians ones in A and B.^[5][10] In the Wulfila project's order the first is þagkjandans at John 13:22.^[10] PROIEL aligns it with Ancient Greek διαλογίζομαι (dialogízomai) eight times, Ancient Greek λογίζομαι (logízomai) three times, Ancient Greek βουλεύω (bouleúō) twice, and once each with Ancient Greek συμβάλλω (sumbállō), Ancient Greek διαπορέω (diaporéō), Ancient Greek συλλογίζομαι (sullogízomai) and Ancient Greek ἀπορέω (aporéō).^[11] Luke 1:29 reads jah þahta sis ƕeleika wesi so goleins, "and she considered within herself what kind of greeting this might be".^[12]

Meanings

1. to think, deliberate, reason (for διαλογίζομαι, λογίζομαι).^[1][2][5]
2. to plan, consider a course of action (for βουλεύω).^[5][7]
3. to ponder, be at a loss about something (for συμβάλλω, διαπορέω, ἀπορέω).^[7][5]
4. with sis: to think over to oneself.^[2][3]

Word family

• 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (andþagkjan, “to remember, consider”)
• 𐌱𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (biþagkjan, “to think about”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌹 (gaþagki, “care, deliberation”)
• 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌸𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (andaþāhts, “sensible”)

Related words

• 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐍃 (þagks, “thanks”)
• 𐌸𐌿𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þugkjan, “to seem”)
• 𐌸𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌿𐍃 (þūhtus, “conscience”)

References

1. ^ a b c d Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. þagkjan
2. ^ a b c d Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 155
3. ^ a b Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 298
4. ^ Miller, D. Gary (2019), The Oxford Gothic Grammar, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 200
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. þagkjan
6. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽
7. ^ a b c d e f 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. *þagks
8. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 416
9. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 148
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 1:29