Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/silubrą

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

Uncertain. Likely a Wanderwort of non-Indo-European origin. Compare Proto-Slavic *sьrebro, Latvian sudrabs, Lithuanian sidabras, Latgalian sudobrys, Basque zilar, Proto-Berber *a-ẓrəf, Celtiberian silabur "money".

A Semitic origin has been suggested (Akkadian 𒀫𒁍𒌝 (ṣur-pu-um /⁠ṣurpum⁠/, “silver”), from 𒍝𒊏𒁍𒌝 (ṣa-ra-pu-um /⁠ṣarāpum⁠/, “to smelt or refine”)). However, at least one scholar has considered this phonologically and geographically improbable.

The replacement of hypothetical Pre-Germanic *urguntóm from Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥ǵn̥tóm in Proto-Germanic has been thought to be linked to increasing metallurgical sophistication.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsi.lu.βrɑ̃/

Noun

*silubrą n

1. silver

Inflection

neuter a-stemDeclension of *silubrą (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*silubrą	*silubrō
vocative	*silubrą	*silubrō
accusative	*silubrą	*silubrō
genitive	*silubras, *silubris	*silubrǫ̂
dative	*silubrai	*silubramaz
instrumental	*silubrō	*silubramiz

Derived terms

• *silubrīnaz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *silubr
  • Old English: seolfor, seolfer, seolofor, siolfor, siolufr, silofr, sylfor, sylfur — Mercian
    • Middle English: silver, selver, seolver, sulver, sylver
      • English: silver, ☽, ☾ (alchemy)
        • Jamaican Creole: silva
        • → Maori: hiriwa
        • → Zulu: isiliva
      • Scots: silver, siller
  • Old Frisian: selover, selver
    • North Frisian: Salwer (Amrum)
    • Saterland Frisian: Sälver
    • West Frisian: sulver
  • Old Saxon: siluvar
    • Middle Low German: selver, sulver
      • German Low German: Sülver, Silver
      • Plautdietsch: Selwa
  • Old Dutch: silver
    • Middle Dutch: silver
      • Dutch: zilver
        • Afrikaans: silwer
        • Negerhollands: silver, zelva, selvu
        • Skepi Creole Dutch: solfer
        • → Caribbean Javanese: silfer
        • → Loup A: sinibat, chinebat, chinibat
        • → Mahican: sehnpatt, senpett
        • → Munsee: shulpul
        • → Sranan Tongo: sorfu, solfru, sorfru
          • → Saramaccan: sólófu, sóófu
        • → Unami: silpël
      • Limburgish: zèlver
  • Old High German: silbar, silabar
    • Middle High German: silber
      • Bavarian: Süber, Suiber

        Cimbrian: silbar

        Mòcheno: silber

      • German: Silber
      • Kölsch: Seleve
      • Luxembourgish: Sëlwer
      • Pennsylvania German: Silwer
      • Vilamovian: zyłwer
      • Yiddish: זילבער (zilber)
• Old Norse: silfr, sylfr
  • Icelandic: silfur
  • Faroese: silvur
  • Norwegian: sylv; (dialectal) silv
  • Old Swedish: silver, sylver, sølver
    • Swedish: silver
  • Old Danish: silf, sylf, sølf
    • Danish: sølv
      • Norwegian Bokmål: sølv
      • → Greenlandic: sølvi
  • Elfdalian: silver
  • Gutnish: sylvar
  • Scanian: sølver
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌿𐌱𐍂 (silubr)
• Crimean Gothic: silvir
• → Proto-Samic: *silpë (see there for further descendants)