Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ginnaną

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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[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unclear, the root has often been traced to Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (to take), e.g. by LIV. Kroonen and Scheungraber take it to be from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (to arise, begin),[1][2] with the prefix inducing voicing by Verner's law. Cognates would then include Proto-Slavic *načęti (to begin) and Proto-Celtic *kentus (first). If the meaning 'to cut open' is original, the verb could be related to *gīnaną (to gape, to yawn) from Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₂ey-.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

*ginnaną[1][3]

  1. to begin
  2. to make an opening, to cut open

Inflection[edit]

Descendants[edit]

The verb has no attested unprefixed descendants.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*ginnan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 178
  2. ^ Corinna Scheungraber, Zur Lexikalisierung präfigierter Verben im Germanischen
  3. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*gennanan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 132