---- Original Message -----
From: "llama_nom" <600cell@...>

> That's right, Go. ga-bundi is related by ablaut to the verb bindan

(=ON binda) 'to bind', as is the Modern English bond.

hi there,
that's about what i suspected. we still have this in german (german is so
cool, it's pretty conservative concerning ablaut and such things, if you
speak german you have half the grammar stuff you need for gothic or old
norse already ;-))
"binden - band - gebunden".
the other one is
"bauen", but that one is (or became?) a weak verb in german.
i agree that there is no reason to doubt what the dictionary says. even my
modern icelandic coursebook says that the icelandic word bóndi for a farmer
comes from búandi, and búa still has pretty much the same meaning today as
it had in old norse.
but i will have a look at the big etymological dictionary tomorrow in
university.
mona