lauss

Forms

lauss^[1] Proto-Norse -lAusz in the compound hAerAmAlAusz on the Björketorp stone.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *lausaz (“loose, free; empty”).^[4][5] The adjective is found across Germanic: Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (laus, “empty, devoid”), Old English lēas (“free; void of; false”), Old Frisian lās, Old Saxon lōs and Old High German lōs.^[4][3] Kroonen and Orel take it as an o-grade adjective made to the strong verb Proto-Germanic *leusaną (“to lose”), which survives in Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽 (fraliusan) and Old High German farliosan.^[4][5][6]

The verb belongs with the root Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- (“to untie, set free”) of Ancient Greek λύω (lúō, “I loosen”) and Latin luō (“to pay, atone”).^[7][6][1] De Vries suggests the first sense was bark that had come loose from the tree.^[6]

The Proto-Norse form is attested as the second part of ⟨hAerAmAlAusz⟩ “restless, without peace” on the Björketorp stone.^[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Björketorp stone in Blekinge, dated by Imer to 520/530–700, curses whoever breaks the monument as hAerAmAlAusz, a Proto-Norse compound that Heidermanns glosses “restless, without peace”.^[2][3] In Old Norse proper the adjective is in the Norwegian fragment NRA norr fragm 81 B, dated 1150–1250,^[8] and in the Icelandic Homily Book, which ONP dates to 1200: betra mun þycᴋia at vera láuꜱ an buɴdiɴ “it will seem better to be loose than bound”.^[9]

Semantic evolution

ONP orders the senses from the literal “loose, not tied, not held” through “free, unhindered” and “free of obligations, quit” to “dissolved, ended”, “available, vacant”, “empty-handed”, “(of a ship) empty”, “movable, scattered”, “(of goods) ready, in cash”, “slack” and “unsteady, rash”.^[9] The legal and commercial uses are prominent: lausir aurar “movable property” beside land, láta lausan “to set free”, and a pledge or law that is laust “void”.^[10][11][12] As the second part of compounds it means “-less”, as in saklauss “guiltless”.^[10]

The word lives on as Icelandic laus, Faroese leysur, Swedish lös and Danish løs.^[7] English loose was taken from Old Norse in the early thirteenth century, while the native Old English lēas gave -less.^[13][14]

Timeline

• 520/530–700 – Proto-Norse hAerAmAlAusz on the Björketorp stone, by Imer's dating.^[2]
• 1150–1250 – lauss in the Norwegian fragment NRA norr fragm 81 B.^[8]
• 1200 – laust, láuꜱ in the Icelandic Homily Book.^[9]
• 1225 – lauss eyrir “movable property” in the text ONP cites as Ágr.^[9]
• c. 1250 – laussan on the Bergen rune-stick N B111.^[15]
• Early 13th century – Middle English lous, loos “not securely fixed”, from the Norse word.^[13]

Meanings

Adjective

1. loose, not tied or held fast.^[9][10]
2. free, unhindered; travelling unencumbered.^[9][10]
3. free of an obligation or charge, quit (with genitive).^[9][10][12]
4. dissolved, no longer binding, void.^[9][10]
5. available, vacant (of an office or church).^[9][10]
6. empty-handed;^[9][10] (of a ship) without cargo.^[9][10]
7. movable, scattered;^[9][10] lausir aurar movable property.^[9][10]
8. slack, loosely fitting;^[9][10] (of sleep) light.^[9][10]
9. unsteady; rash, dissolute.^[9][16]
10. as the second part of compounds, “-less”.^[10]

Word family

• lausn
• lausung
• lausafé
• lausamaðr
• lausligr
• saklauss
• vitlauss
• laust

Descendants

• Icelandic laus^[7]
• Faroese leysur^[7]
• Norwegian Nynorsk laus^[7]
• Swedish lös^[14]
• Danish løs^[7]
• Middle English lous, whence loose^[13][6]

Related words

• leysa
• losna

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. DR 360
3. ^ a b c d Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. 366
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 329
5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 239
6. ^ a b c d e de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 348
7. ^ a b c d e f Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. laus
8. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. NRA norr fragm 81 B
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. lauss
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. lauss
11. ^ Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. lauss
12. ^ a b Faulkes, Anthony (2011), A New Introduction to Old Norse III: Glossary and Index of Names, 4th ed., London: Viking Society for Northern Research, p. s.v. lauss
13. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
14. ^ a b Hellquist, Elof (1922), Svensk etymologisk ordbok, Lund, p. s.v. lös
15. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N B111
16. ^ Baetke, Walter (1965–1968), Wörterbuch zur altnordischen Prosaliteratur, Berlin (digital ed. Greifswald 2006), p. 366