Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klammjan

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Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klammjan

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

Presumably from Proto-Germanic *klamjaną, of unclear further etymology. If considering the material that formed clasps or clamps, namely wood or metal, then it can be derived from Proto-Indo-European *glembʰ- (“clasp; mass”), from *gel- (“form into a ball; ball”). In North Germanic all three phases of ablaut appear, klimp (“small lump”), klamp (“wooden or iron clamp”), and klump (“clump, clog”).[1] Compare *klumpō.

Verb

*klammjan

1. to clamp
2. to squeeze

Inflection

Class 1 weak
Infinitive	*klammjan
1st sg. past	*klamidā
Infinitive	*klammjan
Genitive infin.	*klammjannjas
Dative infin.	*klammjannjē
Instrum. infin.	*klammjannju
Indicative	Present	Past
1st singular	*klammju	*klamidā
2nd singular	*klamisi	*klamidēs, *klamidōs
3rd singular	*klamiþi	*klamidē, *klamidā
1st plural	*klammjum	*klamidum
2nd plural	*klamiþ	*klamidud
3rd plural	*klammjanþ	*klamidun
Subjunctive	Present	Past
1st singular	*klammjē	*klamidī
2nd singular	*klammjēs	*klamidī
3rd singular	*klammjē	*klamidī
1st plural	*klammjēm	*klamidīm
2nd plural	*klammjēþ	*klamidīd
3rd plural	*klammjēn	*klamidīn
Imperative	Present
Singular	*klami
Plural	*klamiþ
	Present	Past
Participle	*klammjandī	*klamid

Alternative reconstructions

• *klammijan[2]

Derived terms

• *biklammjan

Descendants

• Old English: clemman, clæmman
  • Middle English: *clammen, *clemmen
    • English: clam, clem, claum, glaum (dialectal)
    • Scots: clem, clam, claum, glaum, glom
      • → English: glom
• Old Frisian: klemma
  • Saterland Frisian: klämme
  • West Frisian: klimme, klamme
    • ⇒ West Frisian: klammerje
• Old Saxon: *klemmian
  • Middle Low German: klemmen
    • German Low German: klemmen
    • → Old Danish: klæme
      • Danish: klemme
    • → Old Swedish: klæmma
      • Swedish: klämma
    • → Norwegian:
      • Norwegian Bokmål: klemme
      • Norwegian Nynorsk: klemme, klemma
• Old Dutch: *klemmen
  • Middle Dutch: clemmen
    • Dutch: klemmen
      • Afrikaans: klem
      • → Papiamentu: klèm
    • Limburgish: klèmme
• Old High German: klemmen
  • Middle High German: klemmen
    • Alemannic German: chlamme, chlëmme

      Alsatian: klamme, klemme

    • Central Franconian: klemme

      Hunsrik: klemme

    • German: klemmen
    • Luxembourgish: klemmen
    • Rhine Franconian:

      Pennsylvania German: glemme

    • Yiddish: כּלעם‎ (klem)

References

1. van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “klamp”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute
2. Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*klammjan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 291