𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃

Forms

𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (leihts), an adjective of the a-stem declension.^[1][2][3] Only two forms occur: the nominative singular 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍄 (leiht), once, and the genitive 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌹𐍃 (leihtis), twice in the Wulfila project's count (the same verse in two manuscripts).^[4] Braune and Heidermanns treat leihtis as an adverb, 'light-mindedly'.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *linhtaz (“light (in weight)”),^[6] Kroonen's *linhta- and Orel's *lenxwtaz.^[7][8] The cognates are Old Norse léttr, Old English lēoht, Old Frisian licht and Old High German līhti.^[9][10][7] Feist derives it, through a pre-Germanic form with a nasal, from the root Proto-Indo-European *lengh-;^[9] Lehmann sets up the root with and without the nasal, meaning 'light; move rapidly', perhaps two roots that fell together, or with the nasal taken from a present stem.^[11] Outside Germanic the sources compare Latin levis, Ancient Greek ἐλαχύς (elakhús, “small”), ἐλαφρός (elaphrós, “light, nimble”) and Lithuanian lengvas.^[10][11]

Attestation

The word is recorded only in 2 Corinthians: leihtis at 1:17 in manuscripts A and B, and leiht at 4:17 in B, three tokens in the Wulfila project's count.^[4] Köbler counts two attestations.^[3] PROIEL aligns one token with Ancient Greek ἐλαφρία (elaphría, “lightness”) and one with Ancient Greek ἐλαφρός (elaphrós).^[12] 2 Corinthians 4:17 reads unte þata andwairþo ƕeilaƕairb jah leiht aglons, "for this present affliction, short-lived and light".^[13]

Meanings

1. light in weight, slight; for ἐλαφρός.^[1][2][12]
2. In the genitive leihtis, used as an adverb: lightly, light-mindedly, as in leihtis brūkjan 'to act light-mindedly', for τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ.^[5][14][3]

Usage notes

Skeat entered leihtis separately as a possible noun, 'lightness, levity of purpose', noting that it may be only the genitive of the adjective.^[15]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. leihts
2. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 101
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. leihts* 2
4. ^ a b 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 Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 286
6. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃
7. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 338
8. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *lenxwtaz
9. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. leihts
10. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 100
11. ^ 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. *leihts
12. ^ 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
13. ^ Falluomini, Carla (2015), The Gothic Version of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles: Cultural Background, Transmission and Character, Arbeiten zur neutestamentlichen Textforschung 46, Berlin / Boston: de Gruyter, p. 111
14. ^ Streitberg, Wilhelm (1920), Gotisches Elementarbuch, 5th–6th ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 293
15. ^ 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. 154