Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/rekan

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *rekaną.

Verb

*rekan

1. to arrange, straighten up, make tidy
2. to rake up, pile up, heap up
3. to scratch, scrape

Inflection

Strong class 5
Infinitive	*rekan
1st sg. past	*rak
3rd pl. past	*rākun
Past ptcple	*rekan
Infinitive	*rekan
Genitive infin.	*rekannjas
Dative infin.	*rekannjē
Instrum. infin.	*rekannju
Indicative	Present	Past
1st singular	*reku	*rak
2nd singular	*rikiʀi	*rākī
3rd singular	*rikidi	*rak
1st plural	*rekum	*rākum
2nd plural	*rikid	*rākud
3rd plural	*rekand	*rākun
Subjunctive	Present	Past
1st singular	*rekē	*rākī
2nd singular	*rekēs	*rākī
3rd singular	*rekē	*rākī
1st plural	*rekēm	*rākīm
2nd plural	*rekēþ	*rākīd
3rd plural	*rekēn	*rākīn
Imperative	Present
Singular	*rik
Plural	*rikid
	Present	Past
Participle	*rekandī	*rekan

Descendants

• Old English: recan
  • Middle English: reken
    • English: reke (dialectal)
    • Scots: reke, reik
• Old Frisian: reka
• Old Saxon: *rekan
  • Middle Low German: rēken
    • German Low German: reken
• Old Dutch: *recan
  • Middle Dutch: rēken, reecken
    • Dutch: reken
• Old High German: rehhan
  • Middle High German: rechen
    • Cimbrian: rechan
    • German: rechen

Etymology 2

Perhaps equivalent to the past participle of *rekan (“to rake, straighten up, arrange”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, direct”).

Adjective

*rekan

1. right, correct, proper, fit
2. straight, direct

Inflection

a-stem
Singular	Masculine
Nominative	*rekan
Genitive	*rekanas
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*rekan	*rekanu	*rekan
Accusative	*rekananā	*rekanā	*rekan
Genitive	*rekanas	*rekaneʀā	*rekanas
Dative	*rekanumē	*rekaneʀē	*rekanumē
Instrumental	*rekanu	*rekaneʀu	*rekanu
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*rekanē	*rekanō	*rekanu
Accusative	*rekanā	*rekanā	*rekanu
Genitive	*rekaneʀō	*rekaneʀō	*rekaneʀō
Dative	*rekanēm, *rekanum	*rekanēm, *rekanum	*rekanēm, *rekanum
Instrumental	*rekanēm, *rekanum	*rekanēm, *rekanum	*rekanēm, *rekanum

Derived terms

• *rekanōn

Related terms

• *garek
• *rak
• *rek

Descendants

• Old English: recen, recon, ricen
  • Middle English: reken
• Old Frisian: rekon
• Old Saxon: *rekan
  • Middle Low German: rēken (“adequate, neat, accurate, appropriate”)