Re: [tied] Re: Saxon wanum "bright"

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 29652
Date: 2004-01-15

15-01-04 18:40, Brian M. Scott wrote:

> s.v. <wânam>. (Warning: This is quite a large file.) There
> are also entries for <wânami> str. fem. 'Glanz' ('shine')
> and an adverb <wânamo> 'glänzend' ('shiningly').

But this word comes from *we:numa-, related to Middle English ween
'beautiful' < *we:njo- and perhaps to the 'hope, imagine' word-family
(Goth. we:njan, OE we:nan, OS wânjan, ON væ:na, ...). It can hardly be
related to the name of the Vanir (unless both are somehow connected with
*wenh1-, but that, while supported by some dictionaries, requires a lot
of semantic prestidigitation).

Piotr