𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌽𐌰

Forms

𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌽𐌰 (fairzna), a feminine ō-stem noun.^[1][2][3] The only recorded form is the accusative singular 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌽𐌰 (fairzna).^[2][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fersnō (“heel”),^[5][6] from Proto-Indo-European *tpḗrsneh₂.^[5] The West Germanic cognates are Old English fiersn, Old Saxon fersna and Old High German fersana.^[4][6] Outside Germanic the word is matched by Ancient Greek πτέρνη (ptérnē, “heel”), Latin perna (“haunch, leg”) and Hittite paršna-.^[6][7][4] The short vowel of the Germanic form comes from an older long ē shortened before a resonant and a consonant, as in 𐌼𐌹𐌼𐌶 (mimz, “meat”) and 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍃 (winds, “wind”).^[8][4][9] Lehmann explains the Gothic -z-, instead of -s-, as assimilation to the voiced sounds around it, after Streitberg.^[4]

Attestation

The word occurs once, at John 13:18 in manuscript CA, where it renders Ancient Greek πτέρνα (ptérna).^[10][11][2] The verse ends 𐌿𐍃𐌷𐍉𐍆 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌼𐌹𐌺 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌽𐌰 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰 (ushof ana mik fairzna seina), "lifted up his heel against me".^[12]

Meanings

1. heel (for πτέρνα)^{[1][2][5][13]}

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. fairzna
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. faírzna*
3. ^ Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 58
4. ^ 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. fairzna
5. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌶𐌽𐌰
6. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 137
7. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *fersnō
8. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. fairzna
9. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill
10. ^ 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
11. ^ 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
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. Jn 13:18
13. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 275