Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bedō

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This Proto-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-Germanic[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Disputed: most likely from either Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰedʰ- (to ask for, beseech) or *bʰedʰ- (to bend, bow), the former depending on the outcome of Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰ in Germanic, which otherwise was *w; see *banô and *berô for other proposed examples of *gʷʰ- > *b-. Kroonen, though doubtful of this sound change, admits *gʷʰedʰ- is a better semantic match. For *bʰedʰ-, compare however Sanskrit ज्ञुबाध (jñu-bā́dha, bending the knee, kneeling (in reverence)), which would then have parallels in Old English cnēow-ġebed and Old Saxon kneo-beda (prayer (on one's knees)), all literally “knee-bend”.[1][2][3]

In any case, the Germanic nouns probably point to a lost strong verb *bedaną.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

*bedō f [4]

  1. a request; a prayer; plea
    Synonym: *bedą n

Inflection[edit]

ō-stemDeclension of *bedō (ō-stem)
singular plural
nominative *bedō *bedôz
vocative *bedō *bedôz
accusative *bedǭ *bedōz
genitive *bedōz *bedǫ̂
dative *bedōi *bedōmaz
instrumental *bedō *bedōmiz

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*bedjan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 57
  2. ^ Calin, Didier (2017), “knee”, in Dictionary of Indo-European Poetic and Religious Themes (Linguistique; 3), Les Cent Chemins, →ISBN, page 134: “to bow/bend the knees (to pray)”
  3. ^ Schmitt, Rüdiger (1967) Dichtung und Dichtersprache in indogermanischer Zeit [Poetry and Poetic Language in Indo-European Times] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →OCLC, § 405, page 199
  4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*ƀiđō”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 45