Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/kirikā

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

Borrowed from Koine Greek κυριακὸν (δῶμα) (kuriakòn (dôma), “Lord’s (house)”), from Ancient Greek κύριος (kúrios, “lord”). An example of the Greek-to-Germanic progress (possibly via a Latin intermediary) of many Christian words, it probably spread from Christianized Roman centres such as the imperial residence at Trier to the Franks and other West-Germanic-speaking groups from the fourth century onwards. It is unlikely to have been spread by the Goths, who are known to have used the term 𐌰𐌹𐌺𐌺𐌻𐌴𐍃𐌾𐍉 (aikklēsjō).

Noun

*kirikā f[1]

church

Inflection

ōn-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*kirikā	*kirikōn
Accusative	*kirikōn	*kirikōn
Genitive	*kirikōn	*kirikōnō
Dative	*kirikōn	*kirikōm
Instrumental	*kirikōn	*kirikōm

Descendants

Old English: ċiriċe
- Middle English: chirche
  - English: church
  - Scots: kirk
- → Old Norse: kirkja, kyrkja
  - Icelandic: kirkja
  - Faroese: kirkja
  - Norn: kirka
  - Norwegian:
    Bokmål: kirke
    Nynorskt: kyrkje, kyrkja
  - Jamtish: kyrke
  - Westrobothnian: kyrk’
  - Old Swedish: kyrkia, kirkia
    - Swedish: kyrka
  - Old Danish: kyrkiæ, kirkæ
    - Danish: kirke
  - → English: kirk
  - → Finnic:
    - Estonian: kirik
    - Finnish: kirkko
      - Meänkieli: kirkko
    - Ingrian: kirkko
    - Karelian: kirikkö
    - Samic:
      - Northern Sami: girku
      - Lule Sami: girkko
      - Southern Sami: gærhkoe
  - → Scots: kirk (or from Old English cirice)
  - → English: kirk (or from Old English cirice)
Old Frisian: tsirke, tzirke, zerke, ziurke, kerke, karke
- Saterland Frisian: Säärke
- West Frisian: tsjerke
- North Frisian: Sērk (Sylt), schörk (Mooring), sark (Föhr-Amrum)
Old Saxon: kirika
- Middle Low German: kirke, kerke, karke
  - German Low German: Kark, Kiärke
  - Plautdietsch: Kjoakj, Tjoatj
- → Estonian: kirik
  - → Votic: tšerikko
Old Dutch: kirika
- Middle Dutch: kerke
  - Dutch: kerk
    - Afrikaans: kerk
      - → Phuthi: ikereke
      - → Sotho: kereke
    - → Sranan Tongo: kerki
  - Limburgish: kèrk
Old High German: chirihha
- Middle High German: kirche
  - Alemannic German: Chilche, Chilä, Chile, Chille
    Alsatian: Kirich, Kerich
    Swabian: Kirch, Kircha
  - Central Franconian:
    Eifel: Körch
    Hunsrik: Kerrich
    Luxembourgish: Kierch
  - East Central German: Kürche, Küeche
    Upper Saxon: Kersche
  - East Franconian: Kerch
  - Rhine Franconian:
    Palatine German: Kärsch
  - German: Kirche
    - → Russian: ки́рка (kírka)
  - Yiddish: קירך‎ (kirkh)
- → Slavic: *cьrky (see there for further descendants)
- ⇒ Old High German: chirichwīhī (“festival celebrating the consecration of a church”) (+ wīhī (“consecration”))
  - Middle High German: kirchwīhe
    - Alemannic German: Chilbi, Chilwi, Chirbi
    - German: Kirchweih

References

Ringe, Donald; Taylor, Ann (2014) The Development of Old English (A Linguistic History of English; 2), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 134: “PWGmc *kirikā”

[1] Ringe, Donald; Taylor, Ann (2014) The Development of Old English (A Linguistic History of English; 2), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 134: “PWGmc *kirikā”