Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lēþą
Proto-Germanic
editEtymology
editDisputed. Suggested as cognate with Ancient Greek λάτρον (látron, “payment”) and Latin latrō (“mercenary”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂t- (“to grant; to possess”), but the vowel correspondences are irregular. Perhaps alternatively from *leh₁-t-, extended from *leh₁- (“to let”) (whence also Proto-Germanic *lētaną, from a different extension *leh₁-d-).[1]
Beekes rejects an Indo-European etymology entirely and considers the purported Greek cognate to be from Pre-Greek, whereas the Latin is borrowed from Greek.[2][3]
Pronunciation
editNoun
edit*lēþą n
Alternative reconstructions
editInflection
editneuter a-stemDeclension of *lēþą (neuter a-stem) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | *lēþą | *lēþō | |
vocative | *lēþą | *lēþō | |
accusative | *lēþą | *lēþō | |
genitive | *lēþas, *lēþis | *lēþǫ̂ | |
dative | *lēþai | *lēþamaz | |
instrumental | *lēþō | *lēþamiz |
Related terms
edit- *lēdaz
- ⇒ *unlēdaz
Descendants
editReferences
edit- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Orel, Vladimir (2003) “lēđan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology[1], Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 244
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “λάτρον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 837–838
- ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2014) “λάτρον”, in Stefan Norbruis, editor, Pre-Greek: Phonology, Morphology, Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 149