nowte

n.

WA pl. nowte

'bull, cattle' (Modern English nowt, nout)

Etymology

cp. OIcel naut 'cattle, oxen' < PGmc *nautan, cp. OE nēat 'cattle, ox, beast, animal', OFris nāt 'animal', OS nōtil 'domestic animal', OHG nōz 'cattle'. The vocalism is a secure test of loan; note that the native reflex of this n. nete also occurs in WA at 1227.

PGmc Ancestor

*nautan

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

naut 'cattle, oxen'
(ONP naut (2) (sb))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far neyt, Icel naut, Norw naut, ODan nøt, Dan nød, Sw nöt

OE Cognate

nēat 'cattle, ox, beast, animal'

Phonological and morphological markers

ON /au/ &lt; PGmc */au/

Summary category

A1*c

Attestation

First attested in Orrm and thereafter predominantly from the N/EM in ME. EDD records MnE dial usage mostly from the N and Sc, but also EAngl. It also occurs as a place-name element in Yks. and Cumbria, e.g. Noutgate, Noutwath.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 3823, 4744

Bibliography