*-ōną
Runic: ᛟᚾᚨ Pronunciation: /ɔː.nɑ̃/suffix · forms verbs · Weak class 2
Function
- infinitive form of the weak class 2 verbal suffix; forms chiefly denominative verbs, with meanings such as ‘be X’, ‘act as X’, ‘use X’, ‘provide X’, or ‘perform X’
- forms deadjectival and factitive verbs meaning ‘make X’, ‘render X’, or ‘treat as X’
Etymology
From Early Germanic *-ōjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂-yé/ó-, a denominative present suffix built from *-eh₂-, the suffix of eh₂-stem nouns, plus the verbalizing present suffix *-yé/ó-. Ringe reconstructs the Proto-Germanic vowel as trimoric, *-ôną, reflecting contraction after loss of *j between unstressed vowels (Ringe 2017: 199–200, 284–86; Fulk 2018: §§12.40–12.43). The suffix was originally denominative, especially from inherited eh₂-stem nouns, but was reanalyzed in Germanic as an independent class-forming suffix and then extended to other nominal bases and, secondarily, to some verbal bases (Ringe 2017: 200). The deadjectival and factitive use is not equally secure. Ringe notes that there may have been a few old factitives in *-eh₂-yé/ó-, such as Proto-Germanic *hulōną beside *hulaz, but the inherited source of Weak class 2 as a whole is denominative (Ringe 2017: 200).
Relevant Indo-European comparanda include Latin -āre, especially much of the first conjugation, from Proto-Italic *-ā-ye/o- (Weiss 2009: 400); Ancient Greek -άω (-áō), especially in denominal and factitive ā-contract verbs (Weiss 2009: 400); Proto-Celtic ā-presents, with 3rd sg. *-āti < PIE *-eh₂-yé-ti in the denominal type (Le Mair 2011: 53–54); and Proto-Slavic *-ati (Villanueva Svensson 2023: 168–70).
Paradigm
Present active
| Person | Indicative | Subjunctive | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | -ō | -ǭ | – |
| 2nd singular | -ōsi | -ōs | -ō |
| 3rd singular | -ōþi | -ō | -ōþau |
| 1st dual | -ōs | -ōw | – |
| 2nd dual | -ōþiz | -ōþiz | -ōþiz |
| 1st plural | -ōmaz | -ōm | – |
| 2nd plural | -ōþ | -ōþ | -ōþ |
| 3rd plural | -ōnþi | -ōn | -ōnþau |
Present passive
| Person | Indicative | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | -ōi | – |
| 2nd singular | -ōsai | -ōsau |
| 3rd singular | -ōþai | -ōþau |
| 1st dual | – | – |
| 2nd dual | – | – |
| 1st plural | -ōnþai | -ōnþau |
| 2nd plural | -ōnþai | -ōnþau |
| 3rd plural | -ōnþai | -ōnþau |
Past
| Person | Indicative | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | -ōdǭ | -ōdēdį̄ |
| 2nd singular | -ōdēz | -ōdēdīz |
| 3rd singular | -ōdē | -ōdēdī |
| 1st dual | -ōdēdū | -ōdēdīw |
| 2nd dual | -ōdēdudiz | -ōdēdīdiz |
| 1st plural | -ōdēdum | -ōdēdīm |
| 2nd plural | -ōdēdud | -ōdēdīd |
| 3rd plural | -ōdēdun | -ōdēdīn |
Non-finite Forms
| Infinitive | Present Participle | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| -ōną | -ōndz | -ōdaz |
Descendants
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*-ōn (Proto-West Germanic)
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-ōn (Old Dutch)
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-en (Middle Dutch)
- -en (Dutch)
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-en (Middle Dutch)
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-ōn (Old Dutch)
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*-ōn (Proto-West Germanic)
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-ian (Old English)
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-en (Middle English)
- -en (English)
- -en, -in (Middle Scots)
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-en (Middle English)
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-ian (Old English)
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*-ōn (Proto-West Germanic)
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-ian (Old English)
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-ien (Middle English)
- -y, -ee (English)
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-ien (Middle English)
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-ian (Old English)
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*-ōn (Proto-West Germanic)
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-ia (Old Frisian)
- -je (North Frisian)
- -je (Saterland Frisian)
- -je (West Frisian)
-
-ia (Old Frisian)
-
*-ōn (Proto-West Germanic)
-
-ōn (Old High German)
-
-en (Middle High German)
- -en (German)
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-en (Middle High German)
-
-ōn (Old High German)
-
*-ōn (Proto-West Germanic)
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-ōn, -oian (Old Saxon)
-
-en (Middle Low German)
- -en (Low German)
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-en (Middle Low German)
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-ōn, -oian (Old Saxon)
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-a (Old Norse)
- -a (Faroese)
- -a (Icelandic)
- -a, -e, -å (Norwegian Nynorsk)
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-a (Old Norse)
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-e (Danish)
- -e (Norwegian Bokmål)
-
-e (Danish)
-
-a (Old Norse)
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-a (Old Swedish)
- -a (Swedish)
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-a (Old Swedish)
- -𐍉𐌽 (-ōn) (Gothic)