𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌿

Forms

𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌿 (triu), a neuter noun of the wa-stem class.^[1][2][3] The genitive singular is 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃 (triwis).^[3] Only the dative plural 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌼 (triwam) is recorded for the simple word.^[2][4] Before the loss of the final vowel the nominative was *triwa, whose w joined the i in a diphthong; compare the accusative plural -triwa of the compound.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *trewą (“tree, wood”),^[7][8][9] which Orel calls a thematic derivative of the Indo-European word for "tree, wood",^[9] traced by Wiktionary to Proto-Indo-European *dóru and by Kroonen to a preform *dréu-o-.^[7][8] Feist analyses the stem as the zero grade of the root *der-u- with the suffix in the full grade.^[10] The Germanic cognates are Old Norse tré, Old English trēow, Old Frisian trē and Old Saxon trio.^[8] Outside Germanic the sources compare Hittite tāru- (“wood”), Sanskrit दारु (dā́ru, “wood”), Ancient Greek δόρυ (dóru, “wood, beam, spear”), Old Irish daur (“oak”), Albanian dru (“wood, tree”) and Lithuanian dervà (“resinous pine”).^[8][9] Krause and Blažek connect the tribal name Latin Tervingi with the other ablaut grade of the same root, seen in the Germanic word for "tar", and read it as "forest people".^[11][12]

Attestation

The simple word occurs twice, both times as the dative plural triwam, at Mark 14:43 and 14:48, in manuscript CA.^[2][4] PROIEL aligns both tokens with Ancient Greek ξύλον (xúlon), and Köbler gives Latin lignum as the Latin equivalent.^[13][2] Mark 14:48 reads swe du waidedjin urrunnuþ miþ hairum jah triwam greipan mik, "you have come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to seize me".^[14]

Meanings

1. A piece of wood, a club or staff, for Ancient Greek ξύλον (xúlon).^[1][3][7]
2. tree, wood, as the word is glossed in the dictionaries.^[2][15]

Word family

• 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌿 (weinatriu, “grapevine”)
• 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (triweins, “wooden”)

Usage notes

Lehmann notes that the Gothic word for "tree" is 𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃 (bagms, “tree”).^[16]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. triu
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. triu* 2
3. ^ a b c Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 153
4. ^ 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
5. ^ Streitberg, Wilhelm (1920), Gotisches Elementarbuch, 5th–6th ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ Jellinek, Max Hermann (1926), Geschichte der gotischen Sprache, Grundriss der germanischen Philologie 1,1, Berlin / Leipzig: de Gruyter
7. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌿
8. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 522
9. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *trewan
10. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. triu
11. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck
12. ^ Blažek, Václav (2023), Old Germanic Languages, Brno: Masaryk University Press
13. ^ 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. Mk 14:48
15. ^ Wright, Joseph (1910), Grammar of the Gothic Language, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. triu
16. ^ 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. triu