Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wrītaną

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

Etymology

Of unclear origin.

Kroonen derives the root from a Proto-Indo-European *wreyd-, with no known cognates outside of Germanic.^[1] The only one who has since attempted to find cognates in this vein is Matasović, who links this root to Latin rīdeō (“to laugh”).^[2]

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.^[3] Latin rīma (“cleft, crack”) may also continue this same root.^[4] However, as with the unrelated *wlītaną (q.v.), the extension may have been with a different dental consonant than *d in the case of back-influence from iterative *writtōną.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈwriː.tɑ.nɑ̃/

Verb

*wrītaną^[1]^[3]

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

Inflection

Conjugation of *wrītaną (strong class 1)

present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
	active voice			passive voice
1st singular	*wrītō	*wrītaų	—	*wrītai	?
2nd singular	*wrītizi	*wrītaiz	*wrīt	*wrītazai	*wrītaizau
3rd singular	*wrītidi	*wrītai	*wrītadau	*wrītadai	*wrītaidau
1st dual	*wrītōz	*wrītaiw	—	—	—
2nd dual	*wrītadiz	*wrītaidiz	*wrītadiz	—	—
1st plural	*wrītamaz	*wrītaim	—	*wrītandai	*wrītaindau
2nd plural	*wrītid	*wrītaid	*wrītid	*wrītandai	*wrītaindau
3rd plural	*wrītandi	*wrītain	*wrītandau	*wrītandai	*wrītaindau

past tense	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*wrait	*writį̄
2nd singular	*wraist	*writīz
3rd singular	*wrait	*writī
1st dual	*writū	*writīw
2nd dual	*writudiz	*writīdiz
1st plural	*writum	*writīm
2nd plural	*writud	*writīd
3rd plural	*writun	*writīn

	present	past
participles	*wrītandz	*writanaz

Derived terms

Related terms

*writtōną

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *wrītan
- Old English: wrītan
  - Middle English: writen
    - English: write
    - Scots: writ, wryte, wret
- Old Frisian: wrīta
  - Saterland Frisian: riete
  - West Frisian: write
- Old Saxon: wrītan
  - Middle Low German: wrîten
    - German Low German: rieten
    - Low German: rieten, reeten (Westmünsterland)
- Old Dutch: *wrītan
  - Middle Dutch: writen
    - Dutch: wrijten
- Old High German: rīzan, ᚹᚱᚨᛁᛏ (wrait), ᚹᚱᚨᛖᛏ (wraet)^[5]
  - Middle High German: rīzen
    - German: reißen
      - → Danish: ridse
    - Luxembourgish: räissen
    - → Polish: rysować
      - → Belarusian: рысава́ць (rysavácʹ)
      - → Russian: рисова́ть (risovátʹ)
      - → Ukrainian: рисува́ти (rysuváty)
Proto-Norse: ᚹᚱᚨᛁᛏᚨ (wraita),^[6] ᚹᚨᚱᛡᛁᛏ (warᴀit), ᚹᚨᚱᛁᛏᚢ (waritu)
- Old Norse: ríta; rita
  - Icelandic: rita
  - Faroese: rita
  - Norwegian: rita
  - Old Swedish: rita
    - Swedish: rita
  - Old Danish: ritæ
    - Danish: rite

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (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
^ Matasović, Ranko (2024) “The etymology of Latin rīdeō and a new PIE root”, in Glotta, volume 100, number 2, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 327–331
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*wrītanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 473
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “rīma”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 523-4
^ MacLeod, Mindy, Mees, Bernard (2006) Runic Amulets and Magic Objects, Boydell Press, →ISBN, pages 46, 49
^ 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

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (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] Matasović, Ranko (2024) “The etymology of Latin rīdeō and a new PIE root”, in Glotta, volume 100, number 2, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 327–331

[HGE-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*wrītanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 473

[4] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “rīma”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 523-4

[5] MacLeod, Mindy, Mees, Bernard (2006) Runic Amulets and Magic Objects, Boydell Press, →ISBN, pages 46, 49

[6] 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

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