𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (waurkjan), an irregular weak verb of the first class, with the preterite 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐌰 (waurhta).^[1][2] The Wulfila project lists eighteen forms; the commonest are 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌸 (waurkeiþ, 13), waurkjandans (8) and waurkjan (7), and the preterite occurs as waurhta (2), 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 (waurhtedun, 1) and waurhtai (1).^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”).^[4][5] The Germanic cognates are Old Norse yrkja, Old English wyrcan, Old Saxon workian and Old High German wurchen, and the runic preterites Proto-Norse worahto (Tune) and wurte (Tjurkö).^[6][7][5] Kroonen reconstructs a zero-grade present Proto-Indo-European *urǵ-ie-, identical to the present Avestan vərəziieiti (“does”) in Young Avestan, and compares Ancient Greek ἔρδω (érdō, “to do”) and ῥέζω (rhézō).^[5] Uhlenbeck adds Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work”).^[8] The full grade is in the noun Old Norse verk, Old English weorc, Old High German werk "work".^[7] Orel derives the verb from Proto-Germanic *werkan.^[6]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 65 tokens, in all four Gospels, in most of the Epistles and in the Skeireins.^[3] Köbler counts 58 records.^[9] The tokens are in manuscripts A (26), B (19), CA (18) and E (2).^[3] The first in canonical order is at Matthew 7:23.^[3] In PROIEL it renders Ancient Greek ἐργάζομαι (ergázomai) 18 times, ποιέω (poiéō) 17 times, ἐνεργέω (energéō) nine times and κατεργάζομαι (katergázomai) five times.^[10] John 6:10 reads waurkeiþ þans mans anakumbjan, "make the men sit down".^[11]

Meanings

1. to work, be active, be effective; for Ancient Greek ἐργάζομαι (ergázomai) and ἐνεργέω (energéō).^[9][10]
2. to make, produce, bring about; for ποιέω (poiéō).^[1][2][10]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gawaurkjan, “to effect”)
• 𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (uswaurkjan, “to complete”)
• 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (fairwaurkjan, “to gain”)
• 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (frawaurkjan, “to sin”)
• 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌷𐍄𐍃 (frawaurhts, “sin”)

Related words

• 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍃𐍄𐍅 (waurstw, “work”)

Usage notes

Uhlenbeck and Köbler cite warthata "you made, he made" from Busbecq's record of Crimean Gothic beside this verb.^[8][9]

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. waurkjan
2. ^ a b Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 302
3. ^ a b c d 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
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽
5. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 600
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *wurkjanan
7. ^ a b 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. waurkjan
8. ^ a b Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 168
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. waúrkjan
10. ^ 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
11. ^ 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 6:10