ar derived from adjectivs. Such an abstract in -ei may be formd from every adjectiv, hense the great number of these words; e. g., diupei, depth; laggei, length; bleiþei, mercy; mikilei, greatness; braidei, bredth; frôdei, wisdom; hardu-haírtei, hard-hartedness; drugkanei, drunkenness; sum can not be referd to corresponding adjs., but they likewise denote a state; e. g., þaúrstei, thirst; magaþei, maidenhood. But very few hav a concrete meaning; as, aiþei, mother; þramstei, locust; kilþei, womb; marei, sea; ƕaírnei, skul.
Note 1. There is a close resemblance between adjectival abstracts in -ei and the verbal abstracts in -eins (cp. § 103, n. 1); e. g., háuhei, height (< háuhs), but háuheins, a heightening, praise (< háuhjan). Both hav the acc. sg. háuhein.
In one case there is confusion. In Jo. X, 33 we meet with a gen. sg. wajamêreins (nom. wajamêreins, blasfemy) from which it is customary to infer a nom. wajamêrei, tho in its meaning such a form is impossibl.
Note 2. In Cod. B. three nominativs sg. in -ein ar found: liuhadein, illumination; II. Cor. IV, 4 (liuhadeins in A; comp. this passage in Bernhardt's 'Vulfila'); wiljahalþein, favor; Col. III, 25 (wanting in A); gagudein, piety; I. Tim. IV, 8 (gagudei in A).
Note 3. The comparativs, the superlativs in -ma, and the prs. participls form their feminin like managei (cp. § 132, n. 4).
C. MINOR DECLENSIONS
(REMAINS OF CONSONANTAL DECLENSIONS.)
§ 114. Nouns in -r denoting relationship. The words brôþar, brother; daúhtar, daughter; swistar, sister; fadar, father, hav replaced their old consonantal inflection in the nom., acc., and dat. pl. with the forms of the u-declension (§ 104). Paradim:
Note. Cp. the cpd. brôþru-lubô, brotherly luv (§ 88^a, n. 3; § 210, n. 1).
§ 115. The present participls in Gothic inflect like weak adjectivs (§ 133). An older (substantival) inflection, however, persists with sum participls uzed substantivly. Paradim: nasjands, savior.
Furthermore: fijands, fiend; frijônds, frend (> frijôndi, § 98), daupjands, the Baptist; mêrjands, preacher; bisitands, neighbor; talzjands, teacher; -waldands, ruler (all-w., the Almighty; garda-w., master of the house); fraweitands, avenger; fraujinônds, ruler; midumônds, mediator; gibands, giver. Cp. Zs. fdph., 5, 315.
§ 116. A number of feminins following in sum cases the i-decl. (ansts, § 102) appear in others as short forms which ar remains of an old consonantal inflection. Paradim: baúrgs, (burg), town, city.
Like baúrgs inflect also alhs, templ; spaúrds, race-course; brusts, brest; dulþs, feast; waíhts, thing; miluks, milk; mitaþs (d), mezure.
The word nahts, night, inflects in the sg. like baúrgs, in the pl. only the dat. nahtam is found. Cp. nahta-mats, § 88a, n. 3.
Note 1. waíhts and dulþs chiefly follow the i-declension; hense, g. sg. waíhtais, dulþais. According to the cons. declension occur onse each the dat. sg. dulþ and acc. pl. waíhts. Beside waíhts there is a n. nom. sg. waíht in the combination ni-waíht, nothing.
§ 117. Masculins with short (consonantal) cases: manna, man; mênôþs, month; reiks, ruler; weitwôds, witness (cp. § 74, n. 2). But in point of inflection they ar not fully alike.
(1) manna follows in sum cases the n-decl. (guma, § 107). These cases ar here put in Italics:
Note 1. To manna belongs the cpd. *alamans (all men), found in the dat. pl. alamannam (Skeir.) only; also the neuter gaman (cumpanion, cumpany) which inflects, however, in all the extant forms (nom. acc. sg. gaman, dat. sg. gamana, dat. pl. gamanam) precisely like waúrd (§ 93).
Note 2. In composition the stem mana- (man-) appears; s. § 88a, n. 3.
(2) mênôþs and reiks follow in the g. sg. the a-decl.: mênôþis, reikis, but in the dat. sg. the short forms mênôþ and reik (Eph. II, 2) occur. In the nom. acc. pl. the short forms mênôþs and reiks ar uzed; gen. pl. reikê. In the dat. pl. mênôþum, but reikam. – Beside the nom. sg. weitwôds there occur the acc. sg. weitwôd and the g. pl. weitwôdê.
Note 3. The g. sg. mênôþis (Neh. VI, 15) is not quite certain; Löbe red mênôþs.
Note 4. Here belongs also the nom. bajôþs, dat. bajôþum, both (s. § 140, n. 1).
§ 118. The neuter fôn, fire, has this form in the nom. acc. sg., but funins in the gen., and funin in the dat. – No plural occurs. Cp. § 12, n. 3.
Note 1. Concerning the neuter genitivs guþs and hatis, s. § 94, n. 3, and § 94, n. 5, respectivly.
APPENDIX.
