mjúkr

Forms

mjúkr^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *meukaz (“soft”).^[1][2] The adjective is recorded only in North Germanic;^[3] an ablaut form *mūka- is in Gothic 𐌼𐌿𐌺𐌰𐌼𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹 (mūkamōdei, “gentleness”) and Dutch muik (“soft”).^[4][5] The causative mýkja (“to soften”) and Norwegian Nynorsk møykja go back to *maukian.^[6]

Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Indo-European *mewg- (“slimy, slippery”),^[1] and Köbler to the same root.^[2] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon derives it from *meu- (“wet, soft”), as in mygla (“mould”) and mosi (“moss”),^[5] while Hellquist calls it obscure and doubts the link with words for “damp”.^[6] De Vries lists three older proposals: an extension of the root of “damp”, a form beside smjúga (“to creep through”), and a parallel to mór (“moor”); he brings them together under one root.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

ONP's first dated citation is from the Icelandic Homily Book, dated 1200, in the sense “mild”: ef eɴ miúkare være réttr “if the law were milder”.^[8] Menota records miucr in the Norwegian AM 619 4to, dated 1200–1225.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Its senses run from “soft to the touch” to “supple, agile”, of a wrestler, and “easy, comfortable”, and to the moral senses “gentle, kind, yielding”.^[10][11] ONP's two largest senses are “supple, agile” and “mild, kindly disposed”, and the word is commonest in religious works.^[8] In poetry it describes a smooth-gaited horse, flowing verse and humble prayer.^[12][13] Cleasby and Vigfússon translate the moral sense with meek.^[14]

It continues as Icelandic mjúkur, Swedish mjuk and Danish myg.^[7][6] Middle English borrowed it as mēk, the English meek, “gentle, humble”.^[15][7]

Timeline

• 1200 – miúkare “milder” in the Icelandic Homily Book.^[8]
• 1200–1225 – miucr in the Norwegian manuscript AM 619 4to.^[9]
• 1237 – miukare “more comfortable” in ÓHLeg.^[8]
• 1275 – the sense “humble, meek” in BarlA.^[8]
• late 12th century – the English mēk, later meek, from Norse.^[15]

Meanings

Adjective

1. soft to the touch; comfortable.^[8][10][14]
2. supple, agile, nimble.^[8][10]
3. easy, convenient.^[8][11]
4. mild, kindly disposed, yielding (to someone).^[8][16]
5. tender, gentle; humble, meek.^[8][14]

Word family

• mjúkleikr
• mjúkliga
• mjúkligr
• mjúklátr
• mjúkdómr
• mýkja
• mykt
• auðmjúkr
• ómjúkr
• fótmjúkr

Descendants

• Icelandic mjúkur^[1]
• Faroese mjúkur^[1]
• Norwegian Nynorsk mjuk^[1]
• Norwegian Bokmål mjuk^[1]
• Swedish mjuk^[1]
• Danish myg^[1]
• English meek^[15]

Related words

• smjúga
• mygla

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
3. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. 411
4. ^ 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. 287
5. ^ a b Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. mjúkur
6. ^ a b c Hellquist, Elof (1922), Svensk etymologisk ordbok, Lund, p. s.v. mjuk
7. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 389
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. mjúkr
9. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 619 4to
10. ^ a b c Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. mjúkr
11. ^ a b Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. mjúkr
12. ^ Finnur Jónsson (1931), Lexicon Poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, 2nd ed., Copenhagen: S. L. Møller, p. 409
13. ^ Sveinbjörn Egilsson (1860), Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis, Hafniæ: Societas regia antiquariorum septentrionalium, p. 576
14. ^ a b c Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 433
15. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
16. ^ Baetke, Walter (1965–1968), Wörterbuch zur altnordischen Prosaliteratur, Berlin (digital ed. Greifswald 2006), p. 425