Etymology

Cp. OIcel bygging 'leasing, habitation, tenancy', formed on the ON v. represented by OIcel byggja which is accounted for as a product of Verschärfung and thus probably < a PGmc *ƀewwjan- or *ƀuwwjan- (see bigge).

PGmc Ancestor

*ƀewwjan- or *ƀuwwjan-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

bygging 'leasing, habitation, tenancy'
(ONP bygging (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel bygging

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Sharpening of ON /ggw/ &lt; PGmc */ww/

Summary category

A1*bc

Attestation

A relatively common n., first cited by MED from a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444) and then a range of texts which are predominantly, but not exclusively, N. OED cites N and Sc dial usage in MnE.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Pe 932, *935; Cl 378, 811; WA 2697, *4431

At Pe 935 EVG emends MS lygyngeʒ (see lygyngeʒ), which would be a hapax legomenon, to bygyngeʒ, while Goll and Osgood maintain the MS reading. Vant argues that the MS actually reads bygyngeʒ, but ‘the tiny bottom loop that completes the b may be faded, or perhaps … not made clearly’.  At WA 4431 MS biggingis is emended to the sg. bigging by Skeat and bigginge by TPD.

Bibliography

MED bigginge (ger.)[ http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med-idx?type=id&id=MED4456&egs=all&egdisplay=open], OED bigging (n.)[ http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/18871?redirectedFrom=bigging&], HTOED