Cognate Set 234 – Meaning: hand

IE-CoR reference form:
*handu-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Germanic
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
Connections outside of Germanic uncertain. Frequently considered a derivative of the strong verb *hinϸan- 'grasp, seize' with the original sense of the word being *'grabber', but there are no clear morphological parallels for the stem formation, cf. Seebold 1970:255-256, Lehmann 1986:176-177, Kluge 2011, Kroonen 2013:207-208, 227 for further discussion.
Found in clades:
Germanic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 22 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
110   Danish hånd ˈhʌnˀ
116   Dutch hand hɑnt
112   English hand hænd
104   Faroese hond hɔnd̥
117   Flemish hand
114   Frisian hân hɔːn
122   German Hand ˈhant ˈhant
103   Icelandic hönd hœnd̥
105   Norwegian: Bokmål hånd hɔnː hɔnː
109   Swedish hand hand
121   Luxembourgish Hand hɑnt hɑnt
108   Old Swedish hand hand hand
123   German: Bernese Hang haŋ haŋ
119   Old High German hant hant hant
113   Old Frisian hond hond hond
120   Middle High German hant hant hant
111   Old English hand hɑnd hɑnd
118   Old Saxon hand hand hand
115   Middle Dutch hant hant hant
102   Old Icelandic hǫnd hɔnd hɔnd
101   Gothic handus 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐍃 ˈhandus ˈhandus
106   Norwegian: Nynorsk hand hɑnː hɑnː
References
  • Kluge, Friedrich: 391
    S.v. NHG Hand (MHG hant, OHG hant, OS hand), from Gmc. *handu- 'Hand', also in Goth. handus, ON hǫnd, OE hond, OFr. hand, hond. Origin disputed. Conceivably there is a connection with Gmc. *henϸ-a- 'fangen, ergreifen' in Goth. frahinϸan with the original meaning of 'hand' being 'grabber'. Morphologically, however, this connection is problematic because no Germanic agent noun is formed in this way.
  • Kroonen, Guus: 207-208, 227
    S.v. Proto-Germanic *handu- 'hand', as though from *k̑ont-ú-, a u-stem derived from the strong verb hinϸan- 'to reach for' (< *⁽k̑⁾ént-e-). [Not in LIV².]
  • Lehmann, Winfred P.: 176-177
    S.v. Goth. H40. handus 'χείρ', 'hand'. Etymology uncertain. A Germanic innovation, possibly with the stem of *(fra-)hinϸan 'grasp' with 'hand' from the sense of 'grabber'.
  • Seebold, Elmar: 255-256
    S.v. Gmc. -henϸ-a- '(fangen)'. The derivation of 'hand' from the strong verb is accepted by Seebold, but the verb itself has no certain comparisons outside of Germanic.