1887
Volume 77, Issue 2
  • ISSN 0108-8416
  • E-ISSN: 2212-9715
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Abstract

Abstract

Proto-Germanic *, the ultimate source of English , is here argued to have originally been a polysemous verb meaning ‘to run; to die’, corroborating its current etymological analysis as a reflex of the Proto-Indo-European root *- ‘to run’. The proposal is supported by both well-known and previously unnoticed reflexes of the verb *in Gothic, Old Icelandic, and Old English, as well as by further Germanic lexical items and figurative expressions. Further support is provided by a series of semantic parallels in several Indo-European traditions, which, together with the Germanic material, reflect a well-known conceptual metaphor rooted in universal human cognition.

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2024-12-03
2025-01-20
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