𐌼𐌴𐌻

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *mēlą. In the Gothic Bible translated by Ulfilas, the Greek word χρόνος (khrónos), meaning “time” or “duration,” is rendered as 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl). This Gothic term carries the sense of a fixed period or appointed time. By contrast, in the Latin Vulgate, Jerome consistently translates χρόνος as tempus, the standard Latin word for “time.”

Noun

𐌼𐌴𐌻 • (mēl) n

1. time

   Hyponyms: 𐌾𐌴𐍂 (jēr), 𐌰𐌸𐌽𐌰𐌼 (aþnam), 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐍉𐌸𐍃 (mēnōþs), 𐍅𐌹𐌺𐍉 (wikō), 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍃 (dags), 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐌻𐌰 (ƕeila), 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌷𐍃 (þeihs)

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 4.5:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌳𐌹𐌰𐌱𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌿𐌽𐌹 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌰𐍄𐌰, 𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌲𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌺𐌰 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌹𐍃.

     jah ustiuhands ina diabulaus ana fairguni hauhata, ataugida imma allans þiudinassuns þis midjungardis in stika mēlis.

     And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (KJV).

2. a point in time, especially an appointed or fixed time.
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 1.57:

     𐌹𐌸 𐌰𐌹𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌸 𐌿𐍃𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐌽𐍉𐌳𐌰 𐌼𐌴𐌻 𐌳𐌿 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐍂 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿.

     iþ aileisabaiþ usfullnōda mēl du bairan jah gabar sunu.

     Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. (KJV).

3. a long time

   Synonym: 𐌾𐌴𐍂 (jēr)

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 8.27:

     𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰, 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐍉𐍄𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂 𐍃𐌿𐌼𐍃 𐌿𐍃 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲 𐍃𐌰𐌴𐌹 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐌿𐌽𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌸𐍉𐌽𐍃 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌾𐍉𐌼 𐌽𐌹 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌸𐍃 𐍅𐌰𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌹𐌽 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌰 𐌽𐌹 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐍃, 𐌰𐌺 𐌹𐌽 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐍃𐌽𐍉𐌼.

     usgaggandin þan imma ana airþa, gamōtida imma wair sums us baurg saei habaida unhulþōns mēla lagga jah wastjōm ni gawasiþs was jah in garda ni gawas, ak in hlaiwasnōm.

     And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. (KJV).

4. (in the plural) writing, scripture

Usage notes

In the Gothic Bible, Ulfilas renders the Greek χρόνος with three different words depending on nuance: 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl), 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐌻𐌰 (ƕeila), and occasionally 𐌾𐌴𐍂 (jēr). The normal distinction is that 𐌼𐌴𐌻 refers to an appointed or fixed period, often a longer or significant stretch of time, as seen in Mark 9:21; Luke 1:57; Luke 8:27; Luke 8:29; Luke 4:5; John 14:9. By contrast, 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐌻𐌰 denotes a shorter span or “a while,” as in Mark 2:19; Luke 18:4; John 12:35; John 7:33. The use of 𐌾𐌴𐍂, which normally means “year,” is exceptional: in Luke 20:9 Ulfilas chose 𐌾𐌴𐍂 to translate χρόνος, showing a rare case where he rendered “time” as a concrete unit rather than a general duration. Thus, while 𐌼𐌴𐌻 and 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐌻𐌰are the standard Gothic equivalents of χρόνος, 𐌾𐌴𐍂 stands out as a context‑driven and unusual translation choice.

Declension

Neuter a-stem

	singular	plural
nominative	𐌼𐌴𐌻 mēl	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰 mēla
vocative	𐌼𐌴𐌻 mēl	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰 mēla
accusative	𐌼𐌴𐌻 mēl	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰 mēla
genitive	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌹𐍃 mēlis	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌴 mēlē
dative	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰 mēla	𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰𐌼 mēlam

Related terms

• 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (mēljan, “to write”)