Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ehþau
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Proto-Germanic
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Compound of *eh (“but, except”) + *þau, the former being the only Germanic evidence of Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs, *h₁eḱ(s). While the Germanic form could theoretically also represent *eþ-þau, the form *eh-þau is required by the Gothic reflex, where expected *𐌹𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌿 (*iþþau) is instead 𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌸𐌰𐌿 (aiþþau), which shows the first consonant must have originally been -𐌷- (-h-), -𐍈- (-ƕ-) or -𐍂- (-r-); and further shows the Proto-Germanic form itself had not yet become *eþþau as it did in the daughter languages. For the semantics, compare Proto-Celtic *extos (“except, but”), Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós, “without, outside; except”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Conjunction
[edit]*ehþau