𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹

Gothic

FWOTD – 27 July 2017

Etymology

Low mountains in Bukovina. This region was part of the archaeological Chernyakhov culture, which included the earliest documented settlements of the Goths during the third and fourth centuries.

From *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐍃 (*bairgahs, “hilly, mountainous”) +‎ -𐌴𐌹 (-ei), from *𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐍃 (*bairgs, “hill, mountain”), from Proto-Germanic *bergaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“high, elevated”). Translates Ancient Greek ὀρεινή (χώρα (oreinḗ (khṓra, “mountainous (area)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛr.ɡa.hiː/

Noun

𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹 • (bairgahei) f

1. hill country, highland, mountainous region
   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Luke 1:39:

     𐌿𐍃𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌴𐌹 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌰𐌼 𐌹𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌼 𐌹𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌰 𐌹𐌽 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐍃𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍉 𐌹𐌽 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲 𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌹𐌽𐍃

     usstandandei þan mariam in þaim dagam iddja in bairgahein sniumundō in baurg iudins

     And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda

   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Luke 1:65:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌸 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌼 𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌼 𐌹𐌽𐌰, 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌹 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌰𐍃 𐌼𐌴𐍂𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐍅𐌴𐍃𐌿𐌽 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰 𐌸𐍉 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳𐌰.

     jah warþ ana allaim agis þaim bisitandam ina, jah in allai bairgahein iudaias mērida wēsun alla þō waurda.

     And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.

Declension

Feminine īn-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹 bairgahei	—
Vocative	𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹 bairgahei	—
Accusative	𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐌽 bairgahein	—
Genitive	𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 bairgaheins	—
Dative	𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐌽 bairgahein	—

Further reading

• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 16
• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “B10. *bairgahei”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 57