Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hwai

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

Uncertain; presumably from Proto-Germanic *hwajaz[1], possibly cognate with:

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšiHrám (“milk”), perhaps Proto-Indo-European *tkʷeyH-, *tkʷeHy-,[2]
or Latin cāseus (“cheese”), Proto-Slavic *kvasъ (“leaven, fermented drink”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewH-, *kweH- (“to ferment, turn sour”).[3]

Noun

*hwai m

whey

Inflection

Masculine ja-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*hwai
Genitive	*hwajas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*hwai	hwajō, hwajōs
Accusative	*hwai	*hwajā
Genitive	*hwajas	*hwajō
Dative	*hwajē	*hwajum
Instrumental	*hwaju	*hwajum

Descendants

Old English: hwǣġ, hwæiġ, hwēġ
- Middle English: whey, wheyy, whei, wheye, wheyȝe, wey, whay, qwhey, weyȝe, whaye, wege
  - English: whey (whig)
  - Scots: quhaye, quhay, quhey, whey, fey
Old Frisian: *wei, weye
- Saterland Frisian: Woaie, Waai, Wäi, Uäi
- West Frisian: waei, waai
Old Saxon: *hwei
- Middle Low German: wei
  - German Low German: Wei
  - Low German: Wei, Waje
Old Dutch: *hwei, *wei
- Middle Dutch: wei, wey, wej
  - Dutch: wei

References

Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hwaja- ~ *huja-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 261-262
Rasmussen, J.E. (1990), “Germanic Verscharfung: tying up loose ends”, in Historical Linguistics 1987: papers from the 8th International Conference on Historical Linguistics, Lille, 1987
Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2009), “wei1”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), volume IV, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hwaja- ~ *huja-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 261-262

[2] Rasmussen, J.E. (1990), “Germanic Verscharfung: tying up loose ends”, in Historical Linguistics 1987: papers from the 8th International Conference on Historical Linguistics, Lille, 1987

[3] Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2009), “wei1”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands (in Dutch), volume IV, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press