𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (slahan), a strong verb of the sixth class.^[1][2][3] The infinitive itself is not recorded.^[4][5] Köbler lists the present 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌹𐍃 (slahis, "you strike") and 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌹𐌸 (slahiþ), the present participle 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (slahands) and 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 (slahandans), and the preterite 𐍃𐌻𐍉𐌷 (sloh, three times) and 𐍃𐌻𐍉𐌷𐌿𐌽 (slohun, three times).^[4] No past participle is recorded.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *slahaną (“to strike”),^[6][7] which is Old Norse slá in Old Norse, Old English slēan in Old English, Old Frisian slā in Old Frisian and slahan in Old Saxon and Old High German.^[7][8][6] It goes back to Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike”).^[6][4] Kroonen calls it a Germanic-Celtic isogloss, comparing Middle Irish slachta (“hit”) and slacc (“sword”), and suggests the root may have been onomatopoeic.^[7] Feist and Uhlenbeck also compare Old Irish sligim (“I strike”), which Lehmann takes from another root.^[9][10][5] Feist and Uhlenbeck doubt the comparison with Sanskrit and Avestan words for a spear and a throw.^[9][10]

Attestation

Köbler counts ten records, in Matthew, John, Luke, Mark, 1 and 2 Corinthians; the Wulfila project counts 13 tokens, four of them ambiguous.^[4][11] They are in manuscripts CA, C, A and B.^[11] The first in canonical order is slohun at Matthew 26:67 in C.^[11][4] PROIEL aligns its ten tokens with Ancient Greek παίω (paíō) (three), Ancient Greek τύπτω (túptō) (three), Ancient Greek δέρω (dérō) (two), Ancient Greek ῥαπίζω (rhapízō) and Ancient Greek λαμβάνω (lambánō) (one each).^[12] Matthew 26:67 ends 𐍃𐌿𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌸-𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌻𐍉𐍆𐌰𐌼 𐍃𐌻𐍉𐌷𐌿𐌽 (sumaiþ-þan lofam slohun), "and some struck with their palms".^[13]

Meanings

1. To strike, hit, beat, for τύπτειν, παίειν and δέρειν.^[4][1][14]
2. In lofam slahan, to strike with the palms, to slap, for ῥαπίζειν.^[4][15]

Word family

• 𐌰𐍆𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (afslahan, “to cut off; to kill”)
• 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐍃 (slahs, “blow”)
• 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 (slahals, “bully”)
• 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍄𐍃 (slauhts, “slaughter”)

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. slahan
2. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. slahan
3. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 294
4. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. slahan
5. ^ a b c 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. slahan
6. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽
7. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 452
8. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 348
9. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. slahan
10. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 135
11. ^ 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
12. ^ 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. ^ 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 26:67
14. ^ Schulze, Ernst (1867), Gothisches Wörterbuch nebst Flexionslehre, Züllichau: Darnmann, p. 162
15. ^ Balg, G. H. (1887–1889), A Comparative Glossary of the Gothic Language, with Especial Reference to English and German, Mayville, Wis.: the author, p. 376