Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aikwernô

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

From Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“squirrel”). The first component may be Proto-Germanic *aiks (“oak”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ-, or from the root of Old English ācol (“trembling, fearful”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyg- (“move quickly, stir, tremble”), cognate with Ancient Greek αἰγίς (aigís); or, after Seebold 1982, it may be from a PIE form *(w)oy-wr̥- (cf. Russian ве́верица (véverica, “squirrel”), Latin viverra (“ferret”), Proto-Celtic *wiweros (“squirrel”), etc.), with *w > *k regular between a resonant and *u by the law he proposes in place of Cowgill's law.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯.kʷer.nɔːː/

Noun

*aikwernô m

1. squirrel

Inflection

masculine an-stemDeclension of *aikwernô (masculine an-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*aikwernô	*aikwernaniz
vocative	*aikwernô	*aikwernaniz
accusative	*aikwernanų	*aikwernanunz
genitive	*aikwirniniz	*aikwernanǫ̂
dative	*aikwirnini	*aikwernammaz
instrumental	*aikwirninē	*aikwernammiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *aikwernō
  • Old English: ācweorna, āqueorna, āquorna, ācurna, ācuaerna
    • Middle English: acquerne, aquerne, ocquerne, okerne, aquierne
      • >? English: con, conn (“squirrel”) (dialectal) (compare Old Norse íkorni)
      • >? Scots: con (“squirrel”) (compare Old Norse íkorni)
  • Old Frisian: *ēkworna, *ēkhorna
    • Saterland Frisian: *Eker, *Eeker
      • >? Saterland Frisian: Katteker, Kateeker (compare German Eichkater)
    • West Frisian: iikhoarn
      • ⇒ West Frisian: iikhoarntsje
  • Old Saxon: *ēkhorno
    • Middle Low German: êkhōrn, êkhōrne, eikhōrne, êkhorn, êkōrn, eikōrn, êkōrne, echhorne
      • ⇒ Dutch Low Saxon: Eekhoorntje
      • German Low German: Eekhoorn, Ekkern

        Westphalian:

        Ravensbergisch: Aik, Aikern

        Sauerländisch: Ēksken, Aikerte

        • ⇒ German Low German: Eekhoorntje
  • Old Dutch: *ēcorno
    • Middle Dutch: êencōren
      • Dutch: eekhoorn
  • Old High German: eihhorno, eihhurno
    • Middle High German: eichurne
      • Alemannic German: Eichhore, Eichhörnli
      • German: Eichhorn
        • ⇒ German: Eichhörnchen
      • ⇒ Hunsrik: Eichhernche
• Old Norse: íkorni
  • Icelandic: íkorni
  • Faroese: íkorni
  • Norwegian: ikorn, ekorn; (dialectal) ikorre
    • → Danish: ekorn, ikorn
      • Norwegian Bokmål: ekorn, ikorn
  • Jamtish: íkuðn
  • Elfdalian: aikuonn
  • Old Swedish: ēkorne, īkorne
    • Swedish: ekorre, (dialectal) ikorn
  • Old Danish: īkærnæ
    • Danish: egern
      • Norwegian Bokmål: egern
  • Gutnish: eikånn
  • Scanian: igarne