𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐌾𐍉

Uncertain. Probably from Proto-Germanic *kalkjǭ (“whore”). Perhaps borrowed from Latin calx (“lime”) and remodeled after the genitive calcis, as Heinertz explains “ slaves for sale had their feet covered with lime or chalk. — Terms for ‘whore’ may be taken from ‘slave, captive in war’”, which is reinforced by Lehmann.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkalk.joː/

𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐌾𐍉 • (kalkjō) f

1. (hapax) whore, harlot
   • 4th century C.E., Wulfila (attributed), Gothic Bible, Luke 15:30:

     𐌹𐌸 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐍃𐌰 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌿𐍃 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃, 𐍃𐌰𐌴𐌹 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐍄 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐍃 𐌼𐌹𐌸 𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐌾𐍉𐌼, 𐌵𐌰𐌼, 𐌿𐍆𐍃𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍃𐍄 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌿𐍂 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌰𐌻𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽

     iþ þan sa sunus þeins, saei frēt þein swēs miþ kalkjōm, qam, ufsnaist imma stiur þana alidan

     But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. (KJV)

Attested only in the dative plural, 𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐌾𐍉𐌼 (kalkjōm). The lemma form is technically speaking ambiguous, as a dative plural kalkjōm could point to either a nominative singular kalkjō or kalki (compare 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹 (bandi)). Dictionaries (Lehmann, Köbler; see references) however typically lemmatize at kalkjō.

• 𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐍃 (kalkinassus)

• Köbler, Gerhard, Gotisches Wörterbuch (4th edition 2014)
• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 214–215