Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/knībaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed words 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 *gneybʰ- (“to pinch, nip”), from Proto-Indo-European *gen- (“to pinch, squeeze, bend, press, ball up”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈkniː.βɑz/

Noun

*knībaz m

pincers; shears
knife

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *knībaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*knībaz	knībōz, knībōs
vocative	*knīb	knībōz, knībōs
accusative	*knībą	*knībanz
genitive	knības, knībis	*knībǫ̂
dative	*knībai	*knībamaz
instrumental	*knībō	*knībamiz

Related terms

*knībaną
*knīpaną

Descendants

Old English: cnīf (possible reborrowing from Old Norse knífr or Middle Dutch cnīf, cnijf)
- Middle English: knyf, knif
  - Scots: knyfe, knife
  - English: knife
  - Yola: kunnife
Old Frisian: *knīf
- West Frisian: kniif, knyf, knyft
Old Saxon: *knīf
- Middle Low German: knîf
  - German Low German: Knief
  - Low German: knief, kniiv, knif
  - Plautdietsch: Kjnief
Frankish: *knīf
- Old Dutch: *knīf
  - Middle Dutch: cnijf, cnief
    - Dutch: knijf (dialectal)
- → Vulgar Latin: *cnīfus (see there for further descendants)
Old High German: *knīb (?)
- Middle High German: knîp; knîf (latter West Central German)
  - German: Kneip (dialectal); Knifte
  - Luxembourgish: Knäip
Norse: *ᚲᚾᛁᛒᚨᛉ (*knībaz)
- → Proto-Samic: *nijpē
  - Northern Sami: niibi
  - Skolt Sami: neiʹbb
  - Southern Sami: nejpie
- Old Norse: knífr
  - Icelandic: knífur, hnífur
  - Faroese: knívur
  - Norwegian:
    - Norwegian Bokmål: kniv
    - Norwegian Nynorsk: kniv
  - Old Swedish: knīver
    - Swedish: kniv
  - Danish: kniv
  - Elfdalian: knaiv
  - Gutnish: kneiv
  - Old English: cnīf
    - Modern English: knife