Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bardǭ

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Alternative forms

*bardō
*barduz

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *bʰardʰ- or *bʰordʰ-, probably from *bʰer-, *bʰor- (“to protrude; bristle, spike, tip, awn”); compare *baraz for the unextended root.
Sometimes considered a derivative of *bardaz (“beard”), as if meaning “beard-shaped tool”,[1] though the direction could be the reverse. Orel compares Old Norse skegg-ǫx (literally “beard-axe”) for the semantics.

Noun

*bardǭ f [1]

axe
Synonyms: *adisô, *akwisī, *bardō, *bīþlaz

Inflection

ōn-stemDeclension of *bardǭ (ōn-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*bardǭ	*bardōniz
vocative	*bardǭ	*bardōniz
accusative	*bardōnų	*bardōnunz
genitive	*bardōniz	*bardōnǫ̂
dative	*bardōni	*bardōmaz
instrumental	*bardōnē	*bardōmiz

Related terms

*bardaz
*bardō
*bardą
*brazdą, *brazdaz
*bredą
*brezdą, *brezdô
? *bridǭ
*bruzdaz
*burdaz
*burdô, *burdǭ
*burdą

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *bardā
- Old Saxon: barda
  - Middle Low German: bārde
- Frankish: *barda > *Langabarda (possibly, meaning "long axe")
  - Old Dutch: barda
    - Middle Dutch: barde, baerde; bardse; helmbaerde
      - Dutch: baars; hellebaard
  - → Late Latin: Langobardus, Longobardus
    - Old French: Lombard
- Old High German: barta
  - Middle High German: barte
    - German: Barte
Old Norse: barða

References

Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*ƀarđōn”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 36–37

[HGE-1] Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*ƀarđōn”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 36–37