< Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic
Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/faimô
 | 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
Etymology
Uncertain; suggested to be from Proto-Indo-European *póyH-mn̥ or *péHi-mn̥ (“suckling”), from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- (“milk; fat”)[1] (whence Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬨𐬀𐬥 (paēman, “mother's milk”), Proto-Germanic *faitaz (“fat”)), compare semantics of Proto-Slavic *děva (“maiden, virgin”), Latin fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suckle milk”). Alternatively, cognate with Ancient Greek ποιμήν (poimḗn, “shepherd, herdsman”).[2]
Noun
*faimô n
- maiden, girl
- Synonyms: *magaþs, *mawilǭ
Inflection
| neuter an-stemDeclension of *faimô (neuter an-stem) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | *faimô | *faimōnō | |
| vocative | *faimô | *faimōnō | |
| accusative | *faimô | *faimōnō | |
| genitive | *faiminiz | *faimanǫ̂ | |
| dative | *faimini | *faimammaz | |
| instrumental | *faiminē | *faimammiz | |
Alternative reconstructions
- *faimǭ[2]
Derived terms
- *faimijō
- *faimnijǭ
Further reading
- Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 28
References
- Pokorny, Julius (1959), “pei̯(ə)-, pī˘-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 793
- Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*faimnjō”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 90