garsecg

Uncertain. Almost always analyzed as a compound of gār +‎ seċġ, but there is significant disagreement about how to interpret these components. gār is usually glossed as "spear," but the sense "tempest" has been suggested, and Holthausen dubiously connected it to Old English gānian (“to gape”), Sanskrit विहायस् (vihāyas, “atmosphere”). seċġ may be glossed several ways:

• "sword" appears least likely.
• "sedge" has been suggested (e.g. by Grimm), but the derivation is opaque.
• "man; warrior" is perhaps most popular; in this case the sense is "the ocean personified as a warrior," but attempts to find links to spear-wielding water deities (Bosworth-Toller suggests Neptune) have not yielded definitive results.
• Some Latin-Old English glossaries have possible variants of secg glossing "sea" (e.g. the Épinal-Erfurt glossary has segg).

William Redbond suggested a possible loan from a Brythonic term equivalent to modern Welsh môr (“sea”) + caseg (“mare; billow, breaker”). Dahlman suggested analysis as gārs (“world's”) +‎ eċġ (“edge”), but this cannot be correct as ecg is a feminine jō-stem.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑːrˌsejj/,

gārseċġ m

1. ocean, sea
   • 10th century, "Exodus" in the Junius manuscript. Transcribed and translated in 1832, Thorpe, Benjamin (ed.), Cædmon's Metrical Praphrase of Parts of the Holy Scriptures, London: Society of Antiquaries of London; page 204–205, ll. 30–33, 1–4.

     his ƿuldres ƿord : ƿīddra ⁊ sīddra
     þonne befæðman mæᵹe : fōldan sceattas
     eorðan ȳmbhƿȳrft : ⁊ ūp-rodor
     ᵹārsecᵹes ᵹīn : ⁊ þeos ᵹeomre lȳft

     His glory's word : further and wiser spread
     than may embrace : earth's regions,
     the world's circumference, : and firmament above,
     ocean's expanse, : and this murmuring air.

   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     Sē westsūþende Europe landġemirce is in Ispania westeweardum et ðǣm garseċġe, and mǣst æt þǣm iġlande, þætte Gaðes hātte, þǣr scīet sē Wendelsǣ up of þǣm garseċġe; þǣr ēac Ercoles sȳla standað.

     The southwestern limit of Europe is in Hispania at the western ocean, and the westernmost part is at the island known as Gades, where the Mediterranean flows into the ocean and where the Pillars of Hercules stand.

Strong a-stem:

• ēa (“river”)
• mere (“lake”)
• sǣ (“sea”)
• strēam (“stream”)