mínn

Forms

mínn possessive pronoun (feminine mín, neuter mítt)^[1][2] Wiktionary and Fritzner head it mínn;^{[2][1][3][4][5]} ONP, Baetke, Gering and the Lexicon Poeticum head it minn.^{[2][1][3][4][5]} Proto-Norse runic minu (Opedal) and accusative masculine minino (Kjølevik).^[6][7][8]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *mīnaz (“my”),^[2][9][10] which Proto-Norse shows in the runic forms Proto-Norse ᛗᛁᚾᚢ (minu) and Proto-Norse ᛗᛁᚾᛁᚾᛟ (minino).^[6][7][8] The same possessive is Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (meins), Old English mīn, Old Frisian mīn, Old Saxon mīn and Old High German mīn.^[9][10]

It is an adjective in ⟨-n-⟩ made to Proto-Indo-European *mei, a locative or secondary stem of the first-person pronoun, the stem of mik (“me”) and mér (“to me”).^[10][8][11] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon and Hellquist call it a specifically Germanic formation, beside Latin meus (“my”), built differently.^[12][13]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Proto-Norse stone of Opedal, which Rundata dates to 160–375/400 after Imer, has swestar minu liubu “my dear sister”, and the Kjølevik stone of 375/400–520/530 magu minino “my son”.^[6][7] In Old Norse proper Peterson lists the accusative minn on the Swedish runestone Sö 176, which Rundata dates to the 900s: ept Geirulf, bróður minn “in memory of Geirulfr, my brother”.^[14][15]

Semantic evolution

ONP orders its uses by the relation it expresses: ownership and opinion, service and religious allegiance, family and friends, a spouse, and address.^[3] Fritzner notes its frequent use in affectionate address, and the neuter mítt used as a noun, “what is mine to do, my part”, as in skal ek ekki mítt spara “I will not spare what is in my power”.^[1][4] In verse it can stand before or after its noun.^[5][16]

It continues as Icelandic minn and as Swedish min and Danish min in the mainland languages.^[12][11]

Timeline

• 160–375/400 – Proto-Norse minu on the Opedal stone, by Imer's dating.^[6]
• 375/400–520/530 – Proto-Norse minino on the Kjølevik stone.^[7]
• 900s – minn on the Swedish runestone Sö 176.^[14][15]
• 1150–1250 – Dróttinn minn “my Lord” on the Norwegian runic inscription N 309.^[17][18]
• 1200–1225 – minn, mínir, mitt in AM 677 4to.^[19]
• 1250 – of kinsmen and friends in Egils saga (ONP's Eg162θ).^[3]

Meanings

Pronoun

1. my, mine (of ownership, belonging, opinion).^[3][1]
2. my (of service, administrative or religious allegiance: dróttinn minn my lord).^[3]
3. my (of family and friends; of a spouse).^[3]
4. my (in affectionate address).^[3][4]
5. (neuter mítt as a noun) what is mine, my part or duty.^[1][4]

Descendants

• Icelandic minn^[2]
• Faroese mín^[2]
• Norwegian min^[2]
• Old Swedish mīn^[2]
• Swedish min^[2]
• Danish min^[2]

Related words

• mik
• mér
• ek

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. mínn
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. minn
4. ^ a b c d e Baetke, Walter (1965–1968), Wörterbuch zur altnordischen Prosaliteratur, Berlin (digital ed. Greifswald 2006), p. 421
5. ^ a b c Finnur Jónsson (1931), Lexicon Poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, 2nd ed., Copenhagen: S. L. Møller, p. 408
6. ^ a b c d Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N KJ76
7. ^ a b c d Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N KJ75
8. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 388
9. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 369
10. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 273
11. ^ a b Falk, Hjalmar; Torp, Alf (1910–1911), Norwegisch-dänisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg, p. s.v. min
12. ^ a b Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. minn
13. ^ Hellquist, Elof (1922), Svensk etymologisk ordbok, Lund, p. s.v. min
14. ^ a b Peterson, Lena (2006), Svenskt runordsregister, 3rd rev. ed., Runrön 2, Uppsala: Institutionen för nordiska språk
15. ^ a b Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. Sö 176
16. ^ Sveinbjörn Egilsson (1860), Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, Hafniæ: Societas regia antiquariorum septentrionalium, p. 570
17. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. N 309
18. ^ Samnordisk runtextdatabas (Rundata 3.1), Uppsala universitet (inscriptions by signum), p. N 309
19. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 677 4to