𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌹

Gothic

Alternative forms

• 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐍉𐌽𐌹 (lauhmōni)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *lewk- + -𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌹 (-muni), a variant of -𐌿𐌱𐌽𐌹 (-ubni). The latter form suffixed to the same root in the o-grade may have yielded Middle English lēvene (whence English levin), for which reason Lehmann (1986) assumes an o-grade in the Gothic word as well. Close in formation to Old English lēoma (“radiance, lustre”) and Latin lūmen (“light”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ(ː)h.mu.ni/

Noun

𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌹 • (lauhmuni) f

2. lightning (flash of light)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 10.18:

     𐌵𐌰𐌸 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌳𐌿 𐌹𐌼: 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐌰𐍈 𐍃𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌽 𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 𐌿𐍃 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰.

     qaþ þan du im: gasaƕ satanan swē lauhmunja driusandan us himina.

     And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (KJV).

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 17.24:

     𐍃𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌹𐍃 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐍉𐌽𐌹 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌴𐌹 𐌿𐍃 𐌸𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌿𐍆 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌰 𐌿𐍆 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐍃𐌺𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌹𐌸, 𐍃𐍅𐌰 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌹𐌸 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿𐍃 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌰 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰.

     swaswē raihtis lauhmōni lauhatjandei us þamma uf himina in þata uf himina skeiniþ, swa wairþiþ sunus mans in daga seinamma.

     For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. (KJV).

3. (by extension) any blaze of fire from heaven
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Second Epistle to the Thessalonians (Codex Argenteus A) 1.7–8:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌹𐌶𐍅𐌹𐍃 𐌲𐌰𐌸𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌼 𐌹𐌿𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰 𐌼𐌹𐌸 𐌿𐌽𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌹 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐌴𐍃𐌿𐌹𐍃 𐌰𐍆 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌼 𐌼𐌹𐌸 𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌹𐌻𐌿𐌼 𐌼𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐍃, / 𐌹𐌽 𐍆𐌿𐌽𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌹 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹‹𐌽›𐍃 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍄 𐌽𐌹 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌼 𐌲𐌿𐌸 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌽𐌹 𐌿𐍆𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌼 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌴𐌻𐌾𐍉𐌽 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐌴𐍃𐌿𐌹𐍃 𐍇𐍂𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍃,

     jah izwis gaþulandam iusila miþ uns in andhuleinai fraujins unsaris iēsuis af himinam miþ aggilum mahtais is, / in funins lauhmunjai gibandi‹n›s fraweit ni kunnandam guþ jah ni ufhausjandam aiwaggēljōn fraujins unsaris iēsuis xristaus,

     And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, / In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (KJV).

Usage notes

This word translates ἀστραπή (astrapḗ, “lightning”) in two of its appearances. In one case, the phrase φλογὶ πυρός (phlogì purós, literally “blaze of fire”) referring to a fire from heaven) is rendered as 𐍆𐌿𐌽𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌹 (funins lauhmunjai) (confer Finazzi & Tornaghi (2016:40)), suggesting that the word can also be used as glossing of φλόξ (phlóx, “blaze”), at least in the attested context.

Declension

Feminine ō-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌹 lauhmuni	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐍃 lauhmunjōs
Vocative	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌹 lauhmuni	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐍃 lauhmunjōs
Accusative	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 lauhmunja	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐍃 lauhmunjōs
Genitive	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐍃 lauhmunjōs	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉 lauhmunjō
Dative	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌹 lauhmunjai	𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐌼 lauhmunjōm

Coordinate terms

• 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍈𐍉 (þeiƕō, “thunder”)
• 𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌷𐌼𐌰 (milhma, “cloud”)
• 𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌽 (rign, “rain”)
• 𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (snaiws, “snow”)
• 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍃 (winds, “wind”)
• 𐍅𐌹𐍃 (wis, “calm”)

Related terms

• 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌸 (liuhaþ, “light”)
• 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌷𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (liuhtjan, “to give light, shine”)
• 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lauhatjan, “to lighten, flash with lightning”)

Further reading

• Finazzi, Rosa Bianca (1996). "Considerazioni sul lessico gotico"" in Interlinguistica: Mondo classico e civiltà parallele. Milano: ISU-Università Cattolica, pp. 10–28.
• Finazzi, Rosa Bianca & Paola Tornaghi (2016). "Gothica Bononiensia : de la découverte à nos jours" in: Auer, Anite & Michiel de Vaan. Le palimpseste gotique de Bologne Études philologiques et linguistiques / The Gothic Palimpsest from Bologna Philological and Linguistic Studies (Cahiers de l’ILSL, no 50), pp. 29–54.
• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “L20. *lauhmuni”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 228
• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 80