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𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽

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Etymology and origin of the Gothic word 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽

𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽1 to lodge

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
340–380 Wulfila's Bible translation
From
Proto-Germanic *salą
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic *salą
Etymology tree of 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽1
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Germanic *salą
Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (saljan)

Forms

𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (saljan), a weak verb of class 1, past tense 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌳𐌰 (salida).[1][2][3] Köbler records salida twice, 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰 (salja) and the infinitive saljan three times each, and 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰 (saljaina), 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌸 (saljaiþ) and 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌹𐌸 (saljiþ) once each.[2]

Etymology

The verb for lodging is a Germanic formation from Proto-Germanic *sala- (“hall, house”), the stem Feist finds in 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌸𐍅𐍉𐍃 (saliþwōs, “lodging”).[4] Köbler gives this stem and *saliz "house, hall", and a PIE Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“dwelling”) with a question mark.[2] Wiktionary analyses it as an unattested Gothic noun meaning "house, dwelling" with the verb suffix -𐌾𐌰𐌽 (-jan).[5] Uhlenbeck thought it perhaps related to an Old Church Slavonic word for "courtyard, village", which may instead belong to the root of "sit", and kept Latin solum (“ground”) apart; he stresses that it has nothing to do with the verb meaning "to sacrifice".[6]

Attestation

Köbler counts nine records, in John, Luke, Mark, 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy, in manuscripts CA, A and B.[2] In canonical order the first is salida at John 10:40.[2][7] In the Gospels and Epistles it renders Ancient Greek μένω (ménō) four times, and Ancient Greek ἐπιμένω (epiménō), Ancient Greek προσμένω (prosménō) and Ancient Greek τυγχάνω (tunkhánō) once each.[8] John 11:6 reads þanuh þan salida in þammei was stada twans dagans, "then he stayed two days in the place where he was".[9]

Meanings

  1. To lodge, to stay as a guest, for Ancient Greek καταλύω (katalúō) and Ancient Greek ξενίζεσθαι (xenízesthai).[2][5]
  2. To remain, abide, for Ancient Greek μένω (ménō).[3][10][8]

Word family

  • 𐌿𐍃𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ussaljan, “to put up, lodge”)

𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽2 to sacrifice

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
340–380 Wulfila's Bible translation
Inherited from
Proto-Germanic *saljaną
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic *saljaną

Forms

𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (saljan), a weak verb of class 1.[1][11] Köbler records the infinitive saljan twice, the plural 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳 (saljand) twice, the passive 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌳𐌰 (saljada) and the past plural 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 (salidedun).[11]

Etymology

The verb for sacrificing is inherited from Proto-Germanic *saljaną (“to offer, give”),[5][12][11] which gave Old Norse selja (“to hand over, sell”), Old English sellan (“to give”) (whence sell), Old Frisian sella, Old Saxon sellian and Old High German sellen (“to hand over”).[4][12] Osthoff explained it as a causative "make accept", which developed into "hand over, offer as a sacrifice", from the root of Ancient Greek ἑλεῖν (heleîn, “to take”) and Old Irish sellaim (“I take”), according to Feist and Uhlenbeck.[4][6] Orel too takes it as the causative of an unattested strong verb related to the Greek one, and Köbler gives the PIE root as *sel- (“to take, seize”).[12][11]

Attestation

Köbler counts six records: John 16:2, Luke 1:9 and Mark 14:12 in manuscript CA, and 1 Corinthians 10:19 and 10:20 (twice) in manuscript A.[11] In the Gospels and Epistles it renders Ancient Greek θύω (thúō) three times, and Ancient Greek θυμιάω (thumiáō) and Ancient Greek προσφέρω (prosphérō) once each.[8]

Meanings

  1. To sacrifice, to make an offering, for Ancient Greek θύω (thúō), with þatei galiugam saljada "what is sacrificed to idols", for Ancient Greek εἰδωλόθυτον (eidōlóthuton).[11][10]
  2. To burn incense, for Ancient Greek θυμιάω (thumiáō) at Luke 1:9.[10][8]
  3. hunsla saljan, to offer service, for λατρείαν προσφέρειν at John 16:2.[11][10]

Word family

  • 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (andsaljan, “to offer”)
  • 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gasaljan, “to sacrifice”)
  • 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌸𐍅𐍉𐍃 (saliþwōs, “lodging”) (homograph 1)

Usage notes

Streitberg, Köbler and Miller treat the two verbs as separate words, numbered in different orders.[1][2][13] Since their forms are the same, the Wulfila project leaves 15 of the 16 and 15 of the 17 tokens it lists under each undecided between them.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. saljan
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. saljan 1
  3. ^ a b Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. saljan
  4. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. saljan
  5. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽
  6. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 126
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b c d 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
  9. ^ 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. Jn 11:6
  10. ^ a b c d 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. 463
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. saljan 2
  12. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 316
  13. ^ Miller, D. Gary (2019), The Oxford Gothic Grammar, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 198

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/got/%F0%90%8D%83%F0%90%8C%B0%F0%90%8C%BB%F0%90%8C%BE%F0%90%8C%B0%F0%90%8C%BD. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

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