𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan), a weak verb of the first class.^[1][2][3] The preterite is 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌳𐌰 (lagida), recorded four times; the commonest present forms are 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌹𐌸 (lagjiþ), 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (lagjands) and 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰 (lagja), four times each.^[4] Krause and Lambdin give 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galagjan) as its perfective counterpart.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *lagjan- (“to lay”),^[7][8] which also gave Old Norse leggja, Old English lecgan, Old Frisian ledza, Old Saxon leggian and Old High German leggen.^[9][10] It is the causative of 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie”).^[10][11][12] Kroonen reconstructs the causative Proto-Indo-European *logh-éie- and calls it formally identical with Hittite lāki (“to knock out”) and with Proto-Slavic *ložiti (“to lay”).^[8][9] Feist compares the same Slavic pair of "lay" and "lie" to the Gothic one.^[10]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 30 tokens and Köbler 29 records, in the four Gospels (nine in John), 1 and 2 Corinthians and 1 Timothy.^[4][13] Twenty-three are in manuscript CA, four in A and three in B.^[4] The first in canonical order is Matthew 9:16.^[4] In PROIEL's alignment it renders Ancient Greek τίθημι (títhēmi) 17 times, βάλλω (bállō) five times, ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi) three times, ἐπιβάλλω (epibállō) twice and περιτίθημι (peritíthēmi) once.^[14] In Matthew 10:34 it is used of bringing peace: ni qam lagjan gawairþi ak hairu, "I did not come to lay down peace, but a sword".^[15]

Meanings

1. To lay, set, put, place, for Greek títhēmi and bállō.^[2][7][14]
2. To lay down, deposit; to give.^[2][3]
3. With ana, to lay upon, for Greek epitíthēmi.^[16][13]
4. In phrases: kniwa lagjan, "to bend the knees", and gawairþi lagjan ana airþa, "to send peace on earth".^[17][6]

Word family

• 𐌰𐍆𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (aflagjan, “to lay aside”)
• 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (analagjan, “to lay on”)
• 𐌰𐍄𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (atlagjan)
• 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (faurlagjan, “to set before”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galagjan)
• 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufarlagjan)
• 𐌿𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (uslagjan, “to stretch out”)

Related words

• 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie”)

References

1. ^ Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. lagjan
2. ^ a b c Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 99
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. 286
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. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck, p. § 207
6. ^ a b Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock
7. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽
8. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 322
9. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *laʒjanan
10. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. lagjan
11. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 97
12. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 60
13. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lagjan
14. ^ a b 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
15. ^ 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 10:34
16. ^ 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, p. 151
17. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. lagjan