maitan

Part of speech: verb

Verb type: reduplicating strong verb

to cut

Etymology

[← Prot-Germ *maitan; OHG meizan “to cut, hew”; O Icel meita wk v “to cut”]

Concordance

maimaitun - 3 pers, pl, p, indicat - Mrk. XI, 8

Paradigm

4.1.3. VII class – reduplicating strong verbs

Reduplicating verbs, or the verbs with the repetition of the stem vowel.

The repetition mainly involves the first consonant, followed by aí [-ɛ-], which may or may not be accompanied by ablaut: e.g. maitan - maímait, letan - laílot.

When a verb begins with a cluster of two consonants, repeated is only one of them: e.g. fraisan - faífrais. The combinations sk, st are the exception from this rule: e.g. skaidan - skaískaiþ, (ga)staldan - (ga)staístald. In case of verbs with the initial vowel, the verb root is preceded by aí- : e.g. aukan - aíauk.

4.1.3. (a) reduplicating verbs without ablaut

Redublicating verbs without ablaut, or non-gradationa reduplicating verbs are subdivided into several classes according to the vocalization of the present tense stem (classes: ai [ai], au [au], a, ē, ō).

VII class (a) without ablaut	infinitive	preterite singular	preterite plural	past participle
to call, name	haitan [ai]	haíhait [-ɛ-]	haíhaitum [-ɛ-]	haitans [ai]
to leap	laikan [ai]	laílaik [-ɛ-]	laílaikum [-ɛ-]	laikans [ai]
to sleep	slēpan	saíslēp [-ɛ-]	saíslēpum [-ɛ-]	slēpans

See the complete paradigm of the conjugation of strong verbs

4.1.3. (b) Reduplicating verbs with ablaut

This group includes only those verbs, which have present tense stem vowel ē and preterite tense vowel ō. Accordingly, in this group we have the ablaut of ē → ō type (along with reduplication).

VII class (b) with ablaut	infinitive	preterite singular	preterite plural	past participle
to leave; to let go	lētan	laílōt [-ɛ-]	laílōtum [-ɛ-]	lētans
to touch	tēkan	taítōk [-ɛ-]	taítōkum [-ɛ-]	tēkans

See the complete paradigm of the conjugation of strong verbs

4.1.3. (c) Irregular reduplicating verbs

Basing on the data from the Icelandic, it is believed that the Gothic verb bnauan (to rub) belonged to the class of irregular reduplicating verbs. Surviving Gothic sources contain one form of this verb: present participle bnauands (in masc pl, Nom - bnauandans (those rubbing) Luk. VI, 1).

Some degree of atypicality is also displayed by the verbal root hahan (to hang), which is a reduplicating verb in its transitive sense (ushaihah sik (hanged himself)), while in its intransitive sense, builds its preterite forms like class 3 weak verbs do (hahaida - (hung, was suspended)).

It is also, believed, that some of the Gothic weak, suppletive and/or irregular verbs (bauan, trauan, gaggan, and oth) initially belonged to the class of reduplicating strong verbs.

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