u
§ [13]. The letter u in Gothic denotes both a short and a long vowel; the short u, however, occurs oftener than long û.
Note 1. u in foren words regularly represents Gr. ου. In unaccented syllabls, however, it stands for Gr. ο: diabulus, διάβολος (beside diabaúlus), apaústulus (beside apaústaúlus), paíntêkustê, πεντηκοστή.
Note 2. u for ô seldom ([§ 12], n. 1), u for áu ([§ 25], n. 3).
§ [14]. Short u is very frequent in Gothic. E. g.
(a) juk, yoke; sunus, sun; drus, fall; us-drusts, a falling; fra-lusts, lost; lusnan, to perish; —in the prt. pl. and pp. of the verbs of the II. series ([§ 31]); e. g., gutum, gutans; lusum, lusans; —in endings of the sbs. of the u-decl.: handus, handu; —final, as in þu, prn., thou; nu, now; -u (interr. particl).
(b) wulfs, wolf; wulla, wool; gaqumþs, council; gulþ, gold; swumfsl, pond; hund, 100; sibun, 7; taíhun, 10; fulls, ful; un- (privativ prefix); in the prt. pl. and pp. of the verbs of the III. series ([§ 32]): bundum, bundans; in the pp. of the verbs of the IV. series ([§ 33]): numans, stulans.
brukans, broken; us-bruknan, to break off (intr.); trudan, to tred, pp. trudans; snutrs, wise.
Note 1. As a rule, the final u of stems is dropt before derivativ j-suffixes; e. g., -hardjan, to harden (< hardus); -agljan, to trubl (< aglus); manwjan, to prepare (< manwus); ufarassjan, to increase (< ufarassus); L. Meyer, 'Got. Spr.', p. 325 et seq. But skadwjan, to overshadow (< skadus), and skadweins, a shading (cp. Zs. fda. 36, 269).—Concerning u beside w, cp. [§ 42].
Note 2. Every u before h and r is broken to aú; cp. [§ 24].