𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿

Forms

𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿 (filu), the neuter of a u-stem adjective, used as a noun with the genitive and as an adverb.^[1][2][3] All 85 tokens counted by the Wulfila project have the form filu.^[4] With comparatives the genitive 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (filaus) "by much" is also used, as in filaus maizō in the Skeireins.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *felu (“much”),^[5][6][7] originally the neuter singular of an adjective meaning "many".^[5] Kroonen thinks the Germanic adjective may first have existed only in this neuter form governing a genitive.^[6] The cognates are Old Norse fjǫl-, Old English fela, Old Frisian felo, Old Saxon filu and Old High German filu.^[6] Kroonen traces it to Proto-Indo-European *pélh₁-u-, a u-stem of the root Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”), and compares Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “much, many”) and Old Irish il (“many”).^[6] Casaretto lists it among the u-stems with no base word in Germanic.^[3] The same root is in 𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐍃 (fulls, “full”).^[6][8]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts 85 tokens, in the Gospels, the Epistles and the Skeireins, in manuscripts CA, A, B, Car and E.^[4] Köbler counts 79 records.^[9] In PROIEL it renders Ancient Greek πολύς (polús) 35 times and λίαν (lían) 3 times.^[10] Köbler lists filu manags for πάμπολυς (pámpolus), ƕan filu for πόσον (póson) and swa filu for τοσοῦτο (tosoûto).^[9] The first record is Matthew 6:23.^[4] Matthew 8:28 reads twai daimonarjos us hlaiwasnom rinnandans, sleidjai filu, "two possessed men running out of the tombs, very fierce".^[11]

Meanings

1. much, a great amount, with the genitive, as in filu manageins "a great crowd"; for πολύς.^[1][2][10]
2. very, greatly; for λίαν and σφόδρα.^[1][9]
3. With a comparative: much, far, as in filu mais "much more".^[2]

Word family

• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (filaus, “by far”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍆𐍃 (filugalaufs, “very costly”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐌳𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌴𐌹 (filudeisei, “craftiness”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃 (filufaihs, “manifold”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍃𐌽𐌰 (filusna, “multitude”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳𐌴𐌹 (filuwaurdei, “wordiness”)
• 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (filuwaurdjan, “to be talkative”)

Related words

• 𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐍃 (fulls, “full”)

References

1. ^ a b c Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 61
2. ^ a b c d Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 276
3. ^ a b Casaretto, Antje (2004), Nominale Wortbildung der gotischen Sprache: Die Derivation der Substantive, Heidelberg: Winter
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 Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌿
6. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 136
7. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 98
8. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 45
9. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. filu
10. ^ a b 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. Mt 8:28