𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbloː.ma/

Noun

𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰 • (blōma) m

2. (hapax) lily (flower in the genus Lilium)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Matthew (Codex Argenteus) 6.28:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌱𐌹 𐍅𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌾𐍉𐍃 𐍈𐌰 𐍃𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐌰𐌹𐌸? 𐌲𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌹𐌸 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌾𐍉𐍃, 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰 𐍅𐌰𐌷𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳; 𐌽𐌹𐌷 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳 𐌽𐌹𐌷 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌳.

     jah bi wastjōs ƕa saurgaiþ? gakunnaiþ blōmans haiþjōs, ƕaiwa wahsjand; nih arbaidjand nih spinnand.

     And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: (KJV).

Usage notes

Used as gloss of Koine Greek κρίνον (krínon, “lily”), but it is widely assumed that the term simply means "flower", as is the case of its Germanic cognates.

Reconstruction notes

Only the accusative plural 𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 (blōmans) is attested. Streitberg (1910) reconstructs a masculine an-stem, presumably based on the other Germanic languages, but a masculine a-stem is also formally possible.

Declension

Masculine an-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰 blōma	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 blōmans
Vocative	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰 blōma	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 blōmans
Accusative	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽 blōman	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽𐍃 blōmans
Genitive	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 blōmins	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌴 blōmanē
Dative	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌹𐌽 blōmin	𐌱𐌻𐍉𐌼𐌰𐌼 blōmam

See also

• 𐌲𐍂𐌰𐍃 (gras, “blade, herb”)

References

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “B82. *bloma”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 76
• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 22