𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *rīks, from Proto-Celtic *rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs. Cognate with Latin rēx (“king”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riːks/

Noun

𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 • (reiks) m

1. ruler, lord
   • Gothic Bible, John 12:42

     𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌿𐌷 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌸𐌰𐌿𐌷 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌿𐍃 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌼 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌹 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 𐌳𐌿 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰, 𐌰𐌺𐌴𐌹 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰 𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐌿𐌼 𐌽𐌹 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌿𐌽, 𐌴𐌹 𐌿𐍃 𐍃𐍅𐌽𐌰𐌲𐍉𐌲𐌴𐌹 𐌽𐌹 𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐍀𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌹 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰.

     þanuh þan swēþauh jah us þaim reikam managai galaubidēdun du imma, akei faura fareisaium ni andhaihaitun, ei us swnagōgei ni uswaurpanai waurþeina.

     Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

2. (Christianity, Gnosticism) archon
   • Gothic Bible, Ephesians 2:2

     A 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼𐌴𐌹 𐍃𐌹𐌼𐌻𐌴 𐌹𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌸 𐌱𐌹 𐌸𐌹𐌶𐌰𐌹 𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌹 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍈𐌰𐌿𐍃, 𐌱𐌹 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺 𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌿𐍆𐌽𐌾𐌹𐍃 𐌻𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍃, 𐌰𐌷𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐌽𐌿 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿𐌼 𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍃,

     A in þaimei simlē iddjēduþ bi þizai aldai þis fairƕaus, bi reik waldufnjis luftaus, ahmins þis nu waurkjandins in sunum ungalaubeinais,

     Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

     B 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼𐌴𐌹 𐍃𐌹𐌼𐌻𐌴 𐌹𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌸 𐌱𐌹 𐌸𐌹𐌶𐌰𐌹 𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌹 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃, 𐌱𐌹 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺 𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌿𐍆𐌽𐌾𐌹𐍃 𐌻𐌿𐍆𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍃, 𐌰𐌷𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐌽𐌿 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿𐌼 𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍃,

     B in þaimei simlē iddjēduþ bi þizai aldai þis aiwis, bi reik waldufnjis luftaus, ahmins þis nu waurkjandins in sunum ungalaubeinais,

     Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Usage notes

• A common element in Gothic given names, where it often manifests in anglicisation as a -ric suffix; e.g. Theodoric, Alaric. The sole example of this usage as a suffix in given names in Gothic text is 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌸𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (friþareikeis), which poses some problems (see there for more information).
• In its attested usage in the Gothic Bible, this term translates the New Testament Greek ἄρχων (árkhōn, “ruler”) in its various meanings.

Declension

The declension of this noun is irregular. No accusative or vocative forms are attested, and the conjectures given here (assuming a consonant stem paradigm) are far from certain.

Masculine mixed consonant/a-stem

	singular	plural
nominative	𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 reiks	𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 reiks
vocative	*𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺 *reik	*𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 *reiks
accusative	*𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺 *reik	*𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 *reiks
genitive	𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌹𐍃 reikis	𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴 reikē
dative	𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺 reik	𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌼 reikam

Derived terms

• *𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*aiwareiks)
• *𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*alareiks)
• *𐌷𐍂𐍉𐌸𐌹𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*hrōþireiks)
• *𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*þiudareiks)
• 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 (reikinōn)
• *𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌹𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (*witireiks)
• 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌸𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (friþareikeis)

Related terms

• 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 (reikeis)
• 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐌹 (reiki)

Further reading

• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 110