Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/leþrą

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

Related to Middle Irish lethar, Welsh lledr. Further origin uncertain. The Germanic term may be a borrowing from Proto-Celtic *ɸletro- or *ɸlitro-, from Proto-Indo-European *pl-etro-[1] or *pl̥-tro-,[2] from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to cover, wrap; skin, hide”). Other suggested origins include borrowing from a pre-Indo-European substrate.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈle.θrɑ̃/

Noun

*leþrą n

leather

Inflection

neuter a-stemDeclension of *leþrą (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*leþrą	*leþrō
vocative	*leþrą	*leþrō
accusative	*leþrą	*leþrō
genitive	leþras, liþris	*leþrǫ̂
dative	*liþrai	*leþramaz
instrumental	*leþrō	*leþramiz

Derived terms

*liþrīnaz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *leþr
- Old English: leþer
  - Middle English: lether
    - Scots: lether, ledder, leither
    - English: leather
- Old Frisian: lether, leither, leder, lider, leer
  - Saterland Frisian: Leeder
  - West Frisian: leare
- Old Saxon: lethar
  - Middle Low German: leder
    - German Low German: Leer
    - Low German: Ledder, Lier
- Old Dutch: *lether
  - Middle Dutch: leder
    - Dutch: leder, leer
- Old High German: leder
  - Middle High German: leder
    - German: Leder
      - → Esperanto: ledo
    - Hunsrik: Letter
    - Luxembourgish: Lieder
    - Vilamovian: łaoder
    - Yiddish: לעדער‎ (leder)
Old Norse: leðr
- Danish: læder n
- Faroese: leður n
- Icelandic: leður n
- Norwegian Bokmål: lær n
- Norwegian Nynorsk: lêr n
- Swedish: läder n

References

Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*fletro-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 134
Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*leþra-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 332

[1] Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*fletro-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 134

[2] Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*leþra-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 332