𐍆𐌹𐌳𐍅𐍉𐍂

Forms

𐍆𐌹𐌳𐍅𐍉𐍂 (fidwōr), a cardinal numeral.^[1][2] It is usually indeclinable, but the dative 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐍅𐍉𐍂𐌹𐌼 (fidworim) occurs at Mark 2:3.^[1][3][2] In compounds the stem is 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂- (fidur-).^[4][5] With other numerals it forms fidwōr tigjus "forty", fidwōr þūsundjōs "four thousand" and fidwōrtaihun "fourteen".^[2][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr (“four”),^[7][8][9] from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres.^[7][10] The Germanic cognates are Old Norse fjórir, Old English fēower, Old Frisian fiūwer, Old Saxon fiwar and Old High German fior.^[8][9] Outside Germanic it corresponds to Latin quattuor, Ancient Greek τέσσαρες (téssares), Lithuanian keturì and Old Irish cethir.^[10][11][4] The initial f- instead of the expected ƕ- is explained by Orel, Holthausen and Lehmann, after Zupitza, as taken over from 𐍆𐌹𐌼𐍆 (fimf, “five”).^[9][12][10] Uhlenbeck held instead that the following w turned the inherited labiovelar into f, a view Lehmann attributes to van Helten and considers less likely.^[4][10]

Attestation

Köbler counts twelve records, in the Bible and in the Arezzo deed.^[2] The Wulfila project counts ten tokens, in John, Luke, Mark and 2 Corinthians and in the Arezzo deed, in manuscripts CA and B; its first reference is John 11:17.^[13] In PROIEL it renders Ancient Greek τέσσαρες (téssares) three times, and with other numerals Ancient Greek τετρακισχίλιοι (tetrakiskhílioi) and Ancient Greek τεσσεράκοντα (tesserákonta) once each.^[14] John 11:17 reads bigat ina juþan fidwor dagans habandan in hlaiwa, "found that he had already been four days in the tomb".^[15]

Meanings

1. four^[1][2][7]

Word family

• 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐍅𐍉𐍂𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌿𐌽 (fidwōrtaihun, “fourteen”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐌳𐍉𐌲𐍃 (fidurdōgs, “four days old”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐍃 (fidurfalþs, “fourfold”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌽𐌹 (fidurragini, “tetrarchy”)

Usage notes

Feist, Lehmann and Köbler compare the Crimean Gothic form fyder.^[11][10][2]

References

1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. fidwor
2. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fidwōr
3. ^ Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 60
4. ^ a b c Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 44
5. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1868), A Moeso-Gothic Glossary, with an Introduction, an Outline of Moeso-Gothic Grammar, and a List of Anglo-Saxon and Old and Modern English Words Etymologically Connected with Moeso-Gothic, London: Asher, p. 69
6. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 275
7. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐍅𐍉𐍂
8. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 133
9. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 96
10. ^ 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. fidwor
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. fidwor
12. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 29
13. ^ 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
14. ^ 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
15. ^ 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 11:17