𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽 (tēkan), a reduplicating strong verb with ablaut (class VII), taking the dative.^[1][2][3] Its principal parts are tekan, 𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍄𐍉𐌺 (taitok), taitokum and the past participle tekans.^[3] The Wulfila project records taitok three times, the participle 𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (tekands) twice and 𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌹𐌸 (tekiþ) once.^[4] PROIEL adds the optative 𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌹𐍃 (teikais).^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *tēkaną (“to touch”),^[6][7] which Kroonen sets up with a variant with short a.^[8] The other vowel grade appears in Old Norse taka (“to take, touch”) and in Middle Dutch taken (“to take, seize”).^[8][9][10] The Old Norse verb was borrowed into Old English as tacan, the source of take.^[11] Orel and Lehmann also mention Old Frisian bi-tech (“takes away”).^[7][11] Feist found no certain comparison outside Germanic.^[9] Kroonen and Orel connect Tocharian B täk- (“to touch”) in Tocharian B, which Kroonen derives from Proto-Indo-European *th₂g- and Orel from *dēg-.^[8][7] Uhlenbeck reports the comparison with Latin digitus (“finger”) and Ancient Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger”), which Feist rejects, and Feist and Lehmann keep tangō (“to touch”) apart.^[10][9][11]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts six tokens, in Luke and Mark, all in manuscript CA.^[4] PROIEL counts seven, adding Colossians 2:21 in manuscript A.^[5][11] In canonical order the first is tekiþ at Luke 7:39.^[4] Six times it renders Ancient Greek ἅπτω (háptō).^[5] Luke 8:45 reads ƕas sa tekands mis, "who is it that touches me?"^[12]

Meanings

1. To touch, to come into contact with, with the dative, for Ancient Greek ἅπτω (háptō).^[1][3][6]

Word family

• 𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽 (attēkan, “to touch”)

Usage notes

The optative at Colossians 2:21 is spelled with ei, teikais.^[11] Regan gives the stem as also teik-.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. tekan
2. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. tēkan
3. ^ a b c d Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 151
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 c 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
6. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍄𐌴𐌺𐌰𐌽
7. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 406
8. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 507
9. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. tekan
10. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 146
11. ^ a b c d e 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. tekan
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. Lk 8:45