𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (kiusan), a strong verb of class 2.^[1][2] The simple verb is recorded only as the third person singular present optative 𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌹 (kiusai) at Galatians 6:4 and the present participle 𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (kiusands) at 2 Corinthians 8:8.^[3][4] The compounds supply the preterite plural 𐌿𐍃𐌺𐌿𐍃𐌿𐌽 (uskusun) and the past participle 𐌲𐌰𐌺𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽𐍃 (gakusans).^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *keusaną (“to test, to try”),^[5][6][7] with Old Norse kjósa, Old English cēosan, Old Frisian kiāsa, Old Saxon kiosan and Old High German kiosan, which mean "to choose".^[6][7] The root is Proto-Indo-European *ǵews- (“to taste, try”),^[5][4][6] also in Ancient Greek γεύομαι (geúomai, “to taste”), Sanskrit जुषते (juṣáte, “to enjoy”), Latin gustō (“to taste”) and Old Irish do-goa (“to choose”).^[6][4][8] Kroonen holds that Gothic keeps the oldest meaning, "to test", while the North and West Germanic languages point to a secondary "to prefer".^[6] Porzig, cited by Lehmann, proposed that the sense "test, select", found only in Celtic and Germanic, may come from Celtic influence on Germanic before the consonant shift.^[4]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts four tokens, at 2 Corinthians 8:8 and Galatians 6:4, each in both A and B.^[9] PROIEL aligns both passages with Ancient Greek δοκιμάζω (dokimázō).^[10] 2 Corinthians 8:8 ends izwaraizos frijaþwos airkniþa kiusands, "testing the genuineness of your love".^[11]

Meanings

1. to test, prove, put to the trial, for δοκιμάζω.^[1][3][5]
2. to choose, a sense the glossaries give beside "test".^[12][13][14]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (gakiusan, “to test”)
• 𐌿𐍃𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (uskiusan, “to reject; to test”)
• 𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐌺𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽𐍃 (ungakusans, “reprobate”)

Related words

• 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan, “to taste, experience”)
• 𐌺𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (kustus, “test, proof”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌺𐌿𐍃𐍄𐍃 (gakusts, “test”)

Usage notes

Finnish kiusata (“to annoy, torment; to tempt”) has been taken for a Germanic and especially a Gothic loanword since the mid-19th century,^[15] but LÄGLOS notes that its ⟨iu⟩ need not point to Gothic origin and derives it from Proto-Germanic *keusan-.^[15]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. kiusan
2. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 285
3. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kiusan
4. ^ a b c d e 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. kiusan
5. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌺𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽
6. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 286
7. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 213
8. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kiusan
9. ^ 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
10. ^ 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
11. ^ 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 8:8
12. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1868), A Moeso-Gothic Glossary, with an Introduction, an Outline of Moeso-Gothic Grammar, and a List of Anglo-Saxon and Old and Modern English Words Etymologically Connected with Moeso-Gothic, London: Asher
13. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press
14. ^ Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, p. 179
15. ^ a b Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 101