𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌺𐍃

Gothic

Etymology

Has oft been thought to contain the same suffix as Proto-Germanic *habukaz (“hawk”); Lehmann (1986) thinks it is most likely to derive from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) and hence related to Old English agu, Old High German aga (“magpie”), an etymology first proposed by Solmsen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.haks/

Noun

𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌺𐍃 • (ahaks) f

2. (tame) pigeon, dove (bird)
   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Luke 2:24:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌴𐌹 𐌲𐌴𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌼 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌻, 𐍃𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐌵𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌹𐍃𐍄 𐌹𐌽 𐍅𐌹𐍄𐍉𐌳𐌰 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌹𐌽𐍃, 𐌲𐌰𐌾𐌿𐌺 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌿𐌱𐍉𐌽𐍉 𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌿 𐍄𐍅𐍉𐍃 𐌾𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍉𐌽𐍃 𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌺𐌴.

     jah ei gēbeina fram imma hunsl, swaswē qiþan ist in witōda fraujins, gajuk hraiwadubōnō aiþþau twōs juggōns ahakē.

     And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. (KJV).

   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Mark 1:10:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 𐌿𐍃𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 𐌿𐍃 𐌸𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌽 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐌰𐍈 𐌿𐍃𐌻𐌿𐌺𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐌷𐌼𐌰𐌽 𐍃𐍅𐌴 𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌺 𐌰𐍄𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌹𐌽𐌰.

     jah suns usgaggands us þamma watin gasaƕ usluknans himinans jah ahman swē ahak atgaggandan ana ina.

     And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: (KJV).

   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Mark 11:15:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌹𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 𐌳𐌿 𐌹𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌿𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌻𐍅𐌼𐌰𐌹. 𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐍄𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 𐌹𐌴𐍃𐌿𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌻𐌷 𐌳𐌿𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌽 𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍀𐌰𐌽 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌻𐌷 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌼𐌴𐍃𐌰 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌴 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌻𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐌶𐌴 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌴 𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌺𐌹𐌼 𐌿𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌻𐍄𐌹𐌳𐌰.

     jah iddjēdun du iairusaulwmai. ah atgaggands iēsus in alh dugann uswairpan þans frabugjandans jah bugjandans in alh jah mēsa skattjanē jah sitlans þizē frabugjandanē ahakim uswaltida.

     And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; (KJV)

Usage notes

𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌺𐍃 (ahaks) glosses Ancient Greek περιστερᾱ́ (peristerā́, “dove, especially a tame one”), whereas 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌿𐌱𐍉 (hraiwadubō) glosses τρῡγών (trūgṓn, “turtle-dove”).

Declension

It is uncertain whether this word is an i-stem (as Lehmann (1986) supposes) or a consonant stem. Both paradigms are given below.

Hypernyms

• 𐍆𐌿𐌲𐌻𐍃 (fugls, “bird”)

Coordinate terms

• 𐌰𐍂𐌰 (ara, “eagle”)
• 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌰 (hana, “rooster”)
• 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌿𐌱𐍉 (hraiwadūbō, “turtledove”)
• 𐍃𐍀𐌰𐍂𐍅𐌰 (sparwa, “sparrow”)

Further reading

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “A53. ahaks”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 11
• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 3