søkkva

søkkva¹ to sink

Forms

søkkva (singular past indicative sǫkk, plural past indicative sukku, past participle sokkinn)^[1]

Etymology

The word for “to sink” is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sinkwaną (“to sink”),^[1][2] a strong verb of the third class shared with Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌲𐌵𐌰𐌽 (sigqan), Old English sincan, Old Frisian sinka, Old Saxon sinkan and Old High German sinkan.^[3][4][5] Noreen explains the Old Norse vowel: ⟨i⟩ became ⟨e⟩ before a nasal that was lost, and the /nk/ was assimilated to /kk/;^[6][7] Hellquist adds that the ⟨ø⟩ is a “w”-umlaut.^[8]

Beyond Germanic, Pokorny's root Proto-Indo-European *sengʷ- (“to sink, fall”) rests on the comparison with Old Armenian անկանիմ (ankanim, “to fall”),^[2][5][9] Lehmann finds no clear etymology,^[10] and Orel compares it with Proto-Slavic *sęgti (“to reach”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Menota's earliest dated form of the strong verb is the past socc in the Norwegian manuscript DG 8 II of 1225–1250.^[11] The plural past sukku is on the runic inscription N 497 of 1317 in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim: Þessir sukku í fjǫrð “these sank in the fjord”, followed by a list of names.^[12]

Semantic evolution

The verb is used of ships going down and of people and animals sinking in water or mire, and also of a weapon sinking into what it strikes, as an axe sinking to the shaft.^[13][14] In the Eddic poems it is used of ships and of the earth sinking into the sea.^[15] The strong verb continues as Icelandic sökkva, as Swedish sjunka, from Old Swedish siunka with breaking, and as Danish synke.^[9][8][16]

Timeline

• 1225–1250 – the past socc in DG 8 II.^[11]
• 1250–1300 – sukku in Holm perg 6 fol.^[17]
• 1275–1300 – the participle sokcín in Holm perg 4 fol.^[18]
• 1317 – sukku on the runic inscription N 497 in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. to sink, go under, of a ship to founder.^[19][14]
2. to sink into something, as into a bog or into what is struck.^[13][14]

Word family

• sokkinn
• søkk

Descendants

• Faroese søkka^[1]
• Icelandic sökkva^[1]
• Norwegian Nynorsk søkke^[1]
• Norwegian Bokmål søkke^[1]
• Old Danish siunkæ^[1]
• Danish synke^[1]
• Old Swedish siunka^[1]
• Swedish sjunka^[1]

søkkva² to make sink

Forms

søkkva (singular past indicative søkkti, plural past indicative søkktu, past participle søkktr) (weak class 1 (long stem))^[1]

Etymology

The word for “to make sink” is inherited from Proto-Germanic *sankwijaną (“to cause to sink”),^[1] the causative of *sinkwaną.^[20][21] The same causative is Old English sencan, Old Saxon bisenkian and Old High German senken.^[20][21] Wiktionary gives søkkja as another form.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

IcePaHC first has the weak past sökkti in the Icelandic Homily Book, which it dates to 1150.^[22] Menota's earliest dated forms are søkkði and søkkðu in AM 677 4to of 1200–1225.^[23]

Semantic evolution

The verb takes the dative of what is sunk: ships, a body in a bog, a chest in a fjord.^[13][14] sökkva í fötu is to dip a pail into a stream to fill it.^[24] The mediopassive søkkvask “to sink down” closes Vǫluspá (nú mun hon søkkvask) and is in Hymiskviða and Helreið Brynhildar.^[25] The causative continues in Icelandic sökkva and, from the eastern form, in Swedish sänka and Danish sænke.^[9][16]

Timeline

• 1150 – sökkti in the Icelandic Homily Book, by IcePaHC's dating.^[22]
• 1200–1225 – søkkði, søkkðu in AM 677 4to.^[23]
• 1250–1300 – the mediopassive sökkvaz in Vǫluspá, GKS 2365 4to.^[26]

Meanings

Verb

1. to sink, make sink, with the dative.^[19][24]
2. to sink in a bog, to bury.^[14][27]
3. to dip a vessel to fill it with water.^[24][14]
4. (mediopassive) søkkvask to sink down.^[19][25]

Descendants

• Icelandic sökkva^[1]
• Faroese søkkja^[1]
• Norwegian Nynorsk søkkja^[1]
• Norwegian Bokmål søkke^[1]
• Old Danish sænkæ^[1]
• Old Swedish sænkia^[1]