𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐌰

Forms

𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐌰 (taihswa), an adjective recorded only in the weak declension; its weak feminine 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐍉 (taihswō) also stands alone for "the right hand".^[1][2][3] The Wulfila project records 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐍉𐌽 (taihswōn) (12 times), 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐍉 (taihswō) (6), 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐍉𐌽𐌰 (taihswōna) (2) and 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐍉𐌽𐍃 (taihswōns) (once).^[4] A strong feminine noun taihswa "the right hand" is recorded only in the dative singular 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌹 (taihswai), at Mark 16:5 and Colossians 3:1.^[5][1] Casaretto classes it as a wō-stem, the adjective used as a noun.^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *tehswô (“right”),^[7][2] and the noun continues *tehswō (“right hand”).^[7][8] Its Germanic cognates are Old Saxon tesewa (“right hand”) and Old High German zesawa (“right hand”), with the adjective zeso (“right”).^[8][9][10] The source is Proto-Indo-European *deḱs- (“right”),^[7][2] here with a suffix in w, which gives an exact match in Old Irish dess (“right”) in Old Irish.^[6][10] Other suffixes give Ancient Greek δεξιός (dexiós), Latin dexter and Lithuanian dešinė (“right hand”).^[11][8][10] Köbler and Lehmann trace the root further to Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to take”).^[2][10]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 21 tokens of the adjective, in Matthew, John, Luke, Mark, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians and Galatians, and five of the noun.^[4] The adjective is mostly in manuscript CA (14), with one in the witness the Wulfila project calls Speyer and three each in A and B.^[4] The first is Matthew 5:29, augo þein þata taihswo, "your right eye".^[12] PROIEL aligns the adjective 16 times with Ancient Greek δεξιός (dexiós).^[13] Luke 6:6 reads jah handus is so taihswo was þaursus, "and his right hand was withered".^[14]

Meanings

1. right, on the right side, as opposed to left, for δεξιός;^[1][13] af taihswōn, on the right.^[1][2][7]
2. As a feminine noun, the right hand, the right side, for ἡ δεξιά.^[1][5][15]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. taihswa
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. taíhswa* 1
3. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck
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. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. taíhswa* 2
6. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃𐍅𐌰
8. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 512
9. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. taihswa
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. taihswa
11. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 145
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 5:29
13. ^ 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
14. ^ 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. Lk 6:6
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. 425