Editing Symbel (section)

==Etymology==
The prevalent view today is that [[Old English]] {{Lang|ang|symbel}}, [[Old Saxon]] {{Lang|osx|symbal}}, ''{{Lang|osx|sumbal}}''<ref>''[[Heliand]]'', line 3340: "sittan at sumble".</ref> ([[Old High German]] {{Lang|ang|*sumbal}}) and [[Old Norse]] ''sumbl'',<ref>''verðar nema oc sumbl'' (''cibum capere et symposium'') [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/grimmst/014_01.php Grimm, ch. 14]</ref> all of which translate roughly as "feast, banquet, (social) gathering", continue a [[Common Germanic]] ''*sumlan'' "banquet", which would correspond to a [[PIE]] ''{{PIE|*sṃ-lo-}}'' "joint meal" or "congregation" (literally, ''[[symposium]]'' or ''[[:wikt:assembly|assembly]]'').<ref>''Handbook of Germanic Etymology'' (2003): 386. See also [http://lexicon.ff.cuni.cz/png/pgmc_torp/b0434.png Torp-Falk, ''Wörterbuch der Indogermanischen Sprachen'' (1909)], of which Erades does not seem to have been aware.</ref>

A number of earlier scholars have argued for a borrowing from Latin {{Lang|ang|symbola}},<ref>Gerhard Köbler, ''Altsächsisches Wörterbuch'' s.v. "sumbal"</ref> Against this derivation (in the case of OE ''{{Lang|ang|symbel}}''), P.A. Erades argues that these cognates go back to Common Germanic *''sumil'' or *''sumal'' "gathering" (in the last case, with [[Indo-European ablaut|ablaut]] in the suffix). He explains the Germanic stem *''sum''- as ultimately deriving from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *''{{PIE|sṃ}}-'' [[prefix]], the [[Indo-European_ablaut#Zero_grade|zero-grade of ablaut]] of *''{{PIE|sem}}'' "one, together".<ref>P.A. Erades, "A Romance Congener." He rejects the earlier if somewhat hesitant view that Old English ''symbel'' derives from Latin ''symbola''.</ref> This is the same element which developed into [[copulative a|copulative ''a'']] in Ancient Greek.

Paul Bauschatz appears to accept ''sum'', ''sam'' "together", but proposes that the word represents a [[Compound (linguistics)|compound]] with ''[[Alu (runic)|alu]]'' "ale" as its second element (rather than a [[suffix]]). This would render the meaning "gathering or coming together of ale".<ref>Bauschatz, "The Germanic ritual feast". 291. Icelandic ''sumbl'' had previously been explained as a compound of ''sam''- and ''öl'', see [http://lexicon.ff.cuni.cz/png/oi_cleasbyvigfusson/b0604.png Cleasby-Vigfussion: 604].</ref>

The Old English noun is usually translated as "feast", and forms various compounds such as ''symbel-wyn'' "joy at feasting", ''symbel-dæg'' "feast day", ''symbel-niht'' "feast-night", ''symbel-hūs'' "feast-house, guest-room", ''symbel-tīd'' "feast time", ''symbel-werig'' "weary of feasting" etc.
There is also a derived verb, ''symblian'' or ''symblan'', meaning "to feast, caraouse, enjoy one's self".
Not to be confused is the unrelated homophone ''symbel, symble'' meaning "always, ever".