𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃

Forms

𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃 (ligrs), a masculine a-stem noun, not recorded in the nominative.^[1][2][3] The recorded forms are the accusative singular 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂 (ligr, three times), the dative singular 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐌰 (ligra, four times), the genitive plural 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐌴 (ligre) and the dative plural 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐌰𐌼 (ligram).^[2][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *legrą (“a lying, a place where one lies”),^[5][2] a noun with an r-suffix from the verb seen in 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie”).^[6][7][8] The other Germanic languages have it as a neuter: Old Norse legr (“grave; intercourse”), Old English leger, Old Frisian leger, Old Saxon legar and Old High German legar; the Old Saxon and Old High German words also mean "sickbed".^[6][7] Köbler traces it to Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie down”).^[2] Lehmann reports Meillet's view that the r-suffix rather than an l-suffix (as in 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌻𐍃 (sitls, “seat”)) is due to dissimilation.^[8]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts nine tokens, in Matthew, Luke, Mark and Romans; eight are in manuscript CA and Romans 13:13 is in A.^[4] In canonical order the first is the dative ligra at Matthew 9:2.^[4] PROIEL aligns it seven times with Ancient Greek κλίνη (klínē), once with κοίτη (koítē) and once, at Mark 7:4, with χαλκίον (khalkíon).^[9] Matthew 9:6 reads urreisands nim þana ligr þeinana jah gagg in gard þeinana, "get up, take your bed and go to your house".^[10]

Meanings

1. A bed or couch, for Ancient Greek κλίνη (klínē)^[1][11][9]
2. Lying together, sexual intercourse, for κοίτη (koítē) (Romans 13:13)^[11][2]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐌹 (galigri, “sexual intercourse”)

Related words

• 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie”)

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. ligrs
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ligrs*
3. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 287
4. ^ 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
5. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐍂𐍃
6. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ligrs
8. ^ 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. ligrs
9. ^ 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
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 9:6
11. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 102