𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹

Forms

𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹 (kuni), a neuter noun of the ja-stem declension.^[1][2][3] The Wulfila project records 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹 (kuni) seven times, 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 (kunja) seven times and the genitive singular 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌹𐍃 (kunjis) four times.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *kunja- (“kin, clan”),^[5][6][3] whose other descendants are Old Norse kyn, Old English cynn, Old Frisian kenn, Old Saxon kunni and Old High German kunni.^[6][7] Casaretto derives it from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₁-i̯o-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget”), and compares Ancient Greek ὁμόγνιος (homógnios, “of the same descent”), Latin genius (“guardian spirit”) and prōgeniēs (“offspring”).^[3][5] The root is that of Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “race, kind”), genus and gignō (“to beget”).^[8][7][9]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 18 tokens, in Matthew, Luke, Mark, 2 Corinthians and Philippians.^[4] Köbler counts 19.^[10] Fifteen are in manuscript CA, two in B and one in A.^[4] The first in canonical order is Matthew 11:16.^[4] PROIEL aligns it with Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation”) nine times, with γένος (génos) and φυλή (phulḗ, “tribe”) twice each, and once each with ἐφημερία (ephēmería, “priestly course”), συγγένεια (sungéneia, “kindred”) and γέννημα (génnēma, “offspring”).^[11][10] Matthew 11:16 reads ƕe nu galeiko þata kuni, "to what shall I now liken this generation?".^[12]

Meanings

1. A clan, tribe, race, kin, for γένος and φυλή^[1][2][5]
2. A generation, for γενεά^[10][2]
3. A priestly course, in the phrase in wikon kunjis seinis "in the order of his course" (Luke 1:8), for ἐφημερία^[13][10]

Word family

• 𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐍃 (aljakuns, “of another race”)
• 𐌹𐌽𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 (inkunja, “fellow countryman”)
• 𐍃𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐍃 (samakuns, “of the same race”)

Related words

• 𐌲𐌿𐌼𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (gumakunds, “male”)
• 𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (innakunds, “of the household”)
• 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 (himinakunds, “heavenly”)

Usage notes

Regan reports Friedrichsen's conjecture *afarkuni "successive clan" for afar in manuscript CA at Luke 1:5, as an etymologizing rendering of ἐφημερία.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. kuni
2. ^ a b c d Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 98
3. ^ a b c Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
4. ^ a b c d 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
5. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹
6. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 311
7. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 224
8. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kuni
9. ^ 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. kuni
10. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kuni
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. Mt 11:16
13. ^ 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. 448