Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hōfą

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

From Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p-.

Noun

*hōfą n[1]

necessity

Inflection

neuter a-stemDeclension of *hōfą (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*hōfą	*hōfō
vocative	*hōfą	*hōfō
accusative	*hōfą	*hōfō
genitive	hōfas, hōfis	*hōfǫ̂
dative	*hōfai	*hōfamaz
instrumental	*hōfō	*hōfamiz

Related terms

*habjaną
*hōbiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *hōf
- ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *bihōf
  - Old English: behōf
    - Middle English: bihove, behove
      - English: behoof
      - Scots: behufe, behuif
  - Old Frisian: bihōf
  - Old Saxon: *bihōf
    - Middle Low German: behôf
      - German Low German: Behöf
        ⇒ German Low German: behövig
      - → Danish: behov
      - → Swedish: behov
  - Old Dutch: *bihuof
    - Middle Dutch: behoef
      - Dutch: behoef
  - Old High German: *bihuof
    - Middle High German: behuof
      - German: Behuf
Old Norse: hóf
- Icelandic: hóf
- Norwegian Nynorsk: hóv, hov
- Swedish: hov (dialectal)

References

Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*xōfan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 181b

[1] Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*xōfan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 181b