𐌹𐌸

Forms

𐌹𐌸 (iþ), a conjunction, always first in its clause.^[1][2] Introducing a condition in the sense "if", it can also stand later in the clause.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *idi (“but”).^[4] Lehmann and Köbler derive it from Proto-Indo-European *eti (“in addition, and”).^[5][6] Uhlenbeck connects the prefix Old Norse ið-, Old English ed-, Old Saxon ed- and Old High German ita-, "again, back", and compares Old Irish aith-, Latin et (“and”) and Ancient Greek ἔτι (éti, “still, further”).^[7] Lehmann separates the Slavic prefix meaning "away", which he derives from another root, as in 𐌰𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌽 (aþþan).^[5]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 688 tokens and Köbler 629; it occurs in all four Gospels, in the Epistles from Romans to Philemon, in Nehemiah and in the Skeireins, most often in Luke (112) and John (111).^[8][6] Most records are in manuscripts CA and A.^[8] The first in canonical order is Matthew 5:19.^[8][9] Of the 579 tokens PROIEL tags as a coordinating conjunction, 486 render Ancient Greek δέ (dé) and 22 καί (kaí); twelve more render εἰ (ei, “if”).^[9] Matthew 5:19 reads iþ saei taujiþ jah laisjai swa, sah mikils haitada, "but whoever does and teaches so, he shall be called great".^[10]

Meanings

1. but, and, for δέ and sometimes καί.^[1][6][9]
2. now, so, therefore, also for οὖν and γάρ.^[2][6]
3. if, introducing a condition without another conjunction, for εἰ.^[1][2][9]

Related words

• 𐌹𐌳𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍄 (idweit, “shame, insult”)
• 𐌹𐌳𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌲𐌰 (idreiga, “repentance”)

Usage notes

Other particles are often added: iþ þan for δέ and iþ swēþauh for πλήν.^[6][3] Köbler lists a separate iþ in the Gothic calendar, an abbreviation for the number 19.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. iþ
2. ^ a b c Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 284
3. ^ a b Stamm, Friedrich Ludwig; Heyne, Moriz (1920), Ulfilas oder die uns erhaltenen Denkmäler der gotischen Sprache: Text, Wörterbuch und Grammatik, 13th–14th ed. by Ferdinand Wrede, Paderborn: Schöningh, p. 445
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌹𐌸
5. ^ 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. iþ
6. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. iþ 1
7. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 90
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c d 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
10. ^ 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 5:19
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. iþ 2