Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wintruz
Proto-Germanic
Etymology
Unknown. Several possibilities have been proposed, although none are convincing:
- Relation to Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ (“water”), whence also Proto-Germanic *watōr.
- Relation to Proto-Celtic *windos (“white”).
The former involves an analysis of Latin unda continuing *u-n-deh₂ rather than *ud-neh₂, while there is little semantic evidence for the latter.
Pronunciation
Noun
*wintruz m
Inflection
Most descendants (in particular Gothic) show a u-stem paradigm:
u-stemDeclension of *wintruz (u-stem) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | *wintruz | *wintriwiz | |
vocative | *wintru | *wintriwiz | |
accusative | *wintrų | *wintrunz | |
genitive | *wintrauz | *wintriwǫ̂ | |
dative | *wintriwi | *wintrumaz | |
instrumental | *wintrū | *wintrumiz |
However, Old Norse shows a consonant stem paradigm:
consonant stemDeclension of *wintruz (consonant stem) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | *wintruz | *wintriz | |
vocative | *wintru | *wintriz | |
accusative | *wintrų | *wintrunz | |
genitive | *wintriz | *wintrǫ̂ | |
dative | *wintri | *wintrumaz | |
instrumental | *wintrē | *wintrumiz |
If that is indeed the original paradigm, it may have arisen as follows: The nominative and vocative singular would have come from older *wintr̥-s and *wintr̥, respectively, into which an epenthetic u had been inserted before a syllabic sonorant, as is usual in Germanic. This formed *winturz and *wintur. The -ur- was then later metathesized into a form resembling a u-stem nominative (likely based on the accusative forms).
Descendants
- Old English: winter
- Old Frisian: winter
- Old Saxon: wintar
- Old Dutch: winter
- Old High German: wintar
- Middle High German: winter, winder
- Alemannic German: Winter
- Bavarian:
- Central Franconian: Wenter, Wengter (Ripuarian, now chiefly western dialects); Wonter, Wönter (Eifel), Wonter, Wönter
- Hunsrik: Winter
- German: Winter
- Luxembourgish: Wanter
- East Central German:
- Silesian East Central German: Winter
- Vilamovian: wynter
- Yiddish: ווינטער (vinter)
- Middle High German: winter, winder
- Old Norse:
- Old East Norse: vintr, vetr — Old West Norse
- Old West Norse: vetr, vintr — Old East Norse
- Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐍄𐍂𐌿𐍃 (wintrus)