Etymology

cp. OIcel hagr ‘handy, skilful’ < PGmc *xag-az; cp. OE hæg-hāl ‘healthy’, MHG behac, behage ‘pleasing, agreeable’; normally related to PGmc *xag- (as in OE gehagian ‘to manage’, OHG hagan ‘to feed’, OE -haga, OIcel hagi ‘pasture, enclosure’, etc.).  The retention of inflexional -r can be regarded as the safest test of loan in this instance (though see Bj. and TGD 351-2n).  The absence of palatalization is also suggestive of ON input, but since it is in medial position it cannot be treated as a secure criterion.

PGmc Ancestor

*xag-az

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

hagr ‘handy, skilful’ 
(ONP hagr (2) (adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far hagur, Icel hagur, Norw hag, MSw hagher

OE Cognate

hæg-(hāl) 'healthy'

Phonological and morphological markers

[absence of palatalization of */ɡ/] (possibly diagnostic)

<p>ON nominal <em>-r</em></p>

Summary category

A2*c

Attestation

A handful of occurrences only, in Gaw, Orrm, AW and c1325 Ne mai no lewed (Hrl 2253).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 352, 1738

Bibliography

MED hauer (adj.) , OED hagher (adj.) , HTOED , HTOED , Dance haʒer, Bj. 17, 112, 212, de Vries hagr (2), Mag. hagur (2), Heid. (-)haga-, Orel *xaʒaz, AEW hæg-hāl