Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wībą

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Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wībą

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

Unknown, with a number of disputed suggestions. One suggestion connects Tocharian A/B kip/kwīpe (“genitals, female pudenda”) (perhaps also Albanian cipë (“sense of shame, membrane”)), for a hypothetical Indo-European *gʰwíbʰ- (“pudenda”).[1][2]Another suggestion connects Old English wǣfan (“wrap, clothe”), Old Norse vífa (“wrap, veil”) for a suggested original motive of "married woman wearing a scarf".Yet another suggestion connects Old High German weibon (“move to and fro”), Old Norse veifa (“swing, throw”), for a motive of "one who is moving busily; housekeeper, maidservant" (c.f. German Weibel (“manservant, usher”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwiː.βɑ̃/

Noun

*wībą n

1. woman

   Synonym: *kwenǭ

2. wife

   Hyponym: *frawjǭ

   Synonym: *kwēniz

Inflection

neuter a-stemDeclension of *wībą (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*wībą	*wībō
vocative	*wībą	*wībō
accusative	*wībą	*wībō
genitive	*wības, *wībis	*wībǫ̂
dative	*wībai	*wībamaz
instrumental	*wībō	*wībamiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *wīb
  • Old English: wīf
    • Middle English: wif, wyf
      • English: wife
        • Sranan Tongo: wefi
        • → Japanese: ワイフ (waifu)
          • → English: waifu
      • Scots: wife
  • Old Frisian: wīf
    • North Frisian: wüf
    • Saterland Frisian: Wieuw
    • West Frisian: wiif, wyf
  • Old Saxon: wīf
    • Middle Low German: wîf
      • German Low German: Wiev
      • Low German: Wief
  • Old Dutch: wīf
    • Middle Dutch: wijf
      • Dutch: wijf
        • Afrikaans: wyf
        • Sranan Tongo: wefi
  • Old High German: wīb
    • Middle High German: wīp; (northwestern) wīf
      • Alemannic German:

        Italian Walser: wib

      • Bavarian:

        Cimbrian: baip, baibe

        Mòcheno: baib

        Udinese: baip, baib

      • Central Franconian: Wiev, Wivv, Weiv
      • German: Weib
      • Yiddish: ווײַב‎ (vayb)
• Old Norse: víf
  • Icelandic: víf
  • Faroese: vív
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: viv
  • Norwegian Bokmål: viv m or n
  • Westrobothnian: -viv
  • Old Swedish: vīf
    • Swedish: viv, vif (pre-1906 spelling)
  • Danish: viv

References

1. Adams, Douglas Q. (1999) A dictionary of Tocharian B (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10)‎, Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 238
2. Klaus Totila Schmit and Klaus Strunk, “Toch. B kwī̆pe ‘Schaum, Schande’, A kip ‘Schaum’ und germ. *wīƀa ‘Weib’”, Indogermanica Europaea: Festschrift für Wolfgang Meid (Graz: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Graz, 1989), pages 251-284