Brautlauf

German Etymology From de goh brūtlouft, reanalyzed as de Braut bride Lauf run, walk. This reanalysis is etymologically correct since goh -louft is derived from goh loufan (modern de laufen). The formation is of de gem-pro - origin: compare osx brūdloht, dum bruloft (whence modern nl bruiloft), and slightly differing ang brȳdhlop, non brúðhlaup (whence sv bröllop, da - and no - bryllup). The semantics behind this compound are uncertain. Proto-Germanic gem-pro *hlaupaną probably meant “to leap, jump”, which would point to the wedding celebration (compare nl huwelijk). However, the sense “to run” may also be old, in which case a reference to the taking-home or ritualized abduction of the bride becomes very suggestive. The latter idea is preferred in much of the literature. Pronunciation de /ˈbʁaʊ̯tˌlaʊ̯f/ Noun m,,^e de obsolete wedding de Hochzeit Declension m,,^e