𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃

Forms

𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niujis), an adjective of the ja-stem declension.^[1][2][3] The Wulfila project records the forms 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰 (niuja) nine times, 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 (niujamma), 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐍉 (niujo) four times each, 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽𐍃 (niujans), 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niujis), 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌽 (niujin) three times each, 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐍄𐌰 (niujata), 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌶𐍉𐍃 (niujaizos) twice each and 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌼 (niujaim) once.^[4] Wiktionary explains the nominative ending -jis as levelled from the other cases: after a consonant the regular outcome of Proto-Germanic -jaz would have been -is, and 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃 (harjis), 𐌽𐌹𐌸𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niþjis) and 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌹𐍃 (midjis) show the same levelling.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *neuja- (“new”),^[5][6][7] from Proto-Indo-European *néwyos.^[5] The Germanic cognates are Old Norse nýr, Old English nīwe, Old Saxon niuwi and Old High German niuwi.^[6][8] The same formation with the suffix Proto-Indo-European *-yo- is found in Ancient Greek νεῖος (neîos, “new”), Old Irish núe and Lithuanian naũjas, and it is an extension of the simpler Proto-Indo-European *newo- of Latin novus and Ancient Greek νέος (néos).^[8][9][10] Lehmann adds the Gaulish place name Noviodunum and, for the simple stem, Hittite newa- (“new”).^[10]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 31 tokens, in Matthew, John, Luke and Mark, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians and Colossians.^[4] Köbler counts 26 attestations.^[7] Fifteen are in manuscript CA, one (Mark 16:17) in the Speyer fragment, eight in A and seven in B.^[4] The first in canonical order is Matthew 9:17.^[4] In the Gospels and Epistles it renders Ancient Greek καινός (kainós) sixteen times and νέος (néos) five times, and once ἄγναφος (ágnaphos, “unfulled”) (Mark 2:21), according to PROIEL's alignment.^[11][7] Matthew 9:17 reads giutand wein juggata in balgins niujans, "they pour young wine into new skins".^[12]

Meanings

1. new, fresh, unused, for καινός^[1][3][7]
2. young, new, for νέος^[7][2]
3. In niuja satiþs ("newly planted"), a novice, for νεόφυτος at 1 Timothy 3:6.^[7][10]

Word family

• 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌸𐌰 (niujiþa, “newness”)
• 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ananiujan, “to renew”)
• 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌸𐌰 (ananiujiþa, “renewal”)
• 𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌸𐌰 (inniujiþa, “Feast of the Dedication”)
• 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌸𐍃 (niujasatiþs, “newly planted, novice”)

Related words

• 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌺𐌻𐌰𐌷𐍃 (niuklahs, “childish”)
• 𐌽𐌿 (nu, “now”)

Usage notes

Lehmann regards the prefixed forms and the compound niujasatiþs as calques on their Greek equivalents.^[10] Casaretto takes 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌸𐌰 (niujiþa) as the regular abstract noun of the adjective, beside ananiujiþa "renewal" and inniujiþa, literally also "renewal", for the Feast of the Dedication.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. niujis
2. ^ 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. 290
3. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 117
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. 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃
6. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 389
7. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. niujis
8. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 284
9. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 117
10. ^ a b c d 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. niujis
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 9:17
13. ^ Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter