þrete

v.

'to wrangle'

(Modern English )

Etymology

Earlier commentators (incl. Osgood and Goll) derive this v. from OE þrēat(n)ian 'to urge, press; rebuke; threaten' (PDE threaten), and it is not mentioned by Bj. However, most authorities (EVG, McGee, OED, MED) derive it straightforwardly from ON, cp. OIcel þræt(t)a 'to wrangle', which (though unrelated) would give the formally identical ME þrete. The case for ON input therefore rests mainly on the sense of the ME word in this instance, which seems to be closer to the ON than the OE.  

PGmc Ancestor

*þranxtjan-, or *þraut-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

þræt(t)a 'to wrangle'
(ONP þræta, þrætta (2) (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far træta, Icel þrætaþrætta, Norw trætta, ODan thrættæ, Dan trætta, OSw þræ(t)a, Sw träta

OE Cognate

þrēat(n)ian 'to urge, press; rebuke; threaten'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CC3

Attestation

OED and MED (in contrast to the OE-derived v., cp. MED s.v. thrēten (v.1), which is common and widespread) cite only a handful of scattered instances from c1325 Lenten ys come (Hrl 2253) throughout the 15c. and possibly early 16c.; several are N or Sc.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Pe 561

Bibliography

MED thrēten (v.2) , OED threte (v.) , HTOED , de Vries þræta, Mag. þræta, þrætta (2)