Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skipą

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 etymology.

One theory derives it from Proto-Indo-European *skēi-b-, *ski-b-. Compare Lithuanian skiẽbti (“to rip up”), Latvian škibît (“to cut, lop”). (Proto-Germanic *skapjaną has been considered related as well, but the phonetics pose difficulties.) The original meaning inherited from Proto-Indo-European was likely “hollowed tree”, and all daughter languages agree in the meaning 'ship', thus the specified meaning “ship” is assumed for Proto-Germanic, however the Old High German word also had the meaning “hollow object”, so the Proto-Germanic word could also have been used in a more generic fashion. Moreover, one meaning does not have to exclude the other by rule. Cf. Latin vās (“hollow object”), source of French vaisseau (“vessel”).

Kroonen instead claims that this word would rather be a loanword from Latin scyphus (“drinking vessel”).[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈski.pɑ̃/

Noun

*skipą n

ship
Synonyms: *baitaz, *keulaz
hollow object
Coordinate terms: *hulą, *hulaz

Inflection

neuter a-stemDeclension of *skipą (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*skipą	*skipō
vocative	*skipą	*skipō
accusative	*skipą	*skipō
genitive	skipas, skipis	*skipǫ̂
dative	*skipai	*skipamaz
instrumental	*skipō	*skipamiz

Related terms

*skībǭ (“slice”) (possibly)

Derived terms

*skipafardiz
*skipamann-
*skipōną

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *skip
- Old English: sċip, sċyp
  - Middle English: schip, schup
    - Scots: ship, schip
    - English: ship
      - → Esperanto: ŝipo
- Old Frisian: skip
  - North Frisian: schap (Mooring), Skep (Sylt)
  - Saterland Frisian: Skip, Schip
  - West Frisian: skip
- Old Saxon: skip
  - Middle Low German: schip, schep
    - Low German: Schipp
      - German Low German: Schipp, Schip
      - Plautdietsch: Schepp
- Old Dutch: *skip, scip
  - Middle Dutch: schip, schep
    - Dutch: schip
      - Afrikaans: skip
    - Limburgish: sjeep
- Old High German: skif, skef
  - Middle High German: schif, schef
    - Bavarian: Schiff, Scheff
    - Central Franconian: Scheff, Schöff, Schoff (all < MHG schif)
      - Luxembourgish: Schëff
    - German: Schiff
    - Yiddish: שיף‎ (shif)
  - → Old Italian: schifo
    - → English: skiff
    - → French: esquif
    - → German: Skiff
Old Norse: skip
- Icelandic: skip
- Faroese: skip
- Norwegian Bokmål: skip
- Norwegian Nynorsk: skip
- Old Swedish: skip
  - Swedish: skepp
- Old Danish: skip
  - Danish: skib
  - Scanian: śevv
- Westrobothnian: sjepp, stjib
- → Irish: scib
- → Scottish Gaelic: sgioba
Gothic: 𐍃𐌺𐌹𐍀 (skip)

References

Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*skipa-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 446

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*skipa-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 446