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Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wrītaną

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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

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Etymology

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Of unclear origin.

Kroonen derives the root from a Proto-Indo-European *wreyd-, with no known cognates outside of Germanic.[1]

Pokorny and Lehmann suggest that the root is a d-extension of a Proto-Indo-European *wer- (to cut, scratch), for which see Old Armenian գիր (gir, letter; writing) for more possible cognates.[2] Latin rīma (cleft, crack) may also continue this same root.[3]

Pronunciation

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Verb

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*wrītaną[1][2]

  1. to scratch, carve
    Synonym: *hrītaną
  2. to engrave, inscribe, write
    Synonym: *skrībaną

Inflection

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Descendants

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*wrītan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 596-597
  2. 2.0 2.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*wrītanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 473
  3. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 523-4
  4. ^ MacLeod, Mindy, Mees, Bernard (2006) Runic Amulets and Magic Objects, Boydell Press, →ISBN, pages 46, 49
  5. ^ Elmer H., Antonsen (2002) Runes and Germanic Linguistics (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs), volume 140, Berlin, New York: Mouton De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 27