Etymology
Usually explained as a form of
gere 'gear (etc.)', but the precise etymology is complicated by the sense of this word in context in
Gaw (‘þat gere, as I trowe, / Is ryched at þe reuerence me, renk, to mete / bi rote’), which depends on whether it is taken to refer to the thing being sharpened or the activity of sharpening: (1) If it is the former, this is a straightforward instance of
gere ‘gear’ (cp. OIcel
gervi,
gørvi ‘gear, apparel’ < PGmc
*garwj- and see further
gere (1) (n.)) (thus GDS, AW, Burrow (2205–7n), Vant). (2) If
gere denotes the activity of the sharpening and the din it produces (as most editions and translations prefer), the etymology is amenable to different explanations: (a) It is still possible to regard this as a meaning proper to
gere ‘gear (etc.)' (as 1). (b) Alternatively, Luttrell (1962: 450) expressly associates
Gaw 2205
gere with
(child-)gered, and thus the attendant etymological problems (see
child-gered).
PGmc Ancestor
(1) *garwj-; (2) *garwj- or *ger-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
(1) gervi, gørvi ‘gear, apparel’
(ONP (1) gervi (sb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
(1) Icel gervi
OE Cognate
(1) cp. gearwe ‘clothing’
Phonological and morphological markers
[absence of palatalization of */ɡ/]
(may not be applicable)
Summary category
DD2