𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *arjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éryeti. Cognate to Old English erian, Old Norse erja, and to the first element of Koine Greek ἀροτριάω (arotriáō), which it translates.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈar.jan/

Verb

𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 • (arjan)

1. (hapax) to plough (to use a plough)
   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Luke 17:7:

     𐍈𐌰𐍃 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌹𐌶𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌰 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺 𐌰𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌿 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽, 𐍃𐌰𐌴𐌹 𐌰𐍄𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐍆 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌹 𐌵𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌹: 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐍂𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌸 𐌰𐌽𐌿𐌷𐌺𐌿𐌼𐌱𐌴𐌹?

     ƕas þan izwara skalk aigands arjandan aiþþau haldandan, saei atgaggandin af haiþjai qiþai: suns hindarleiþ anuhkumbei?

     But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? (KJV)

Conjugation

Only attested in the accusative singular of the present participle: 𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (arjandan), which is not enough to determine the conjugation. In Old High German, it is a class 7 strong verb, but in all other Germanic languages, it is class 1 weak, while the root's phonological shape could also suggest class 6 strong.

See also

• 𐌷𐍉𐌷𐌰 (hōha, “plough”)

Further reading

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “A195. *arjan”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 42
• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 12