Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swefnaz

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 *swépnos (“sleep”). Related to *swefaną (“to sleep”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsweɸ.nɑz/

Noun

*swefnaz m

1. sleep

Inflection

Declension of *swefnaz (masculine a-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	*swefnaz	*swefnōz, *swefnōs
vocative	*swefn	*swefnōz, *swefnōs
accusative	*swefną	*swefnanz
genitive	*swefnas, *swifnis	*swefnǫ̂
dative	*swefnai	*swefnamaz
instrumental	*swefnō	*swefnamiz

Alternative reconstructions

• *swebnaz

Synonyms

• *slēpaz

Related terms

• *swabjaną

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *swefn
  • Old English: swefn, swefen
    • Middle English: sweven, seven, swene, swevene, swevne, swevon, swevyn, swheven, suefen, sweoven (Early Middle English), squeven, sueven, swefen (Northern, Northwest Midland)
      • English: sweven
      • Scots: sweven, swevyn
  • Old Saxon: swevan
• Old Norse: svefn, sömn — non, Trønder dialect of Old Norwegian
  • Icelandic: svefn, svöfn
  • Faroese: svøvnur
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: svebn, svemn, svevn, svøbn, svømn, sømn, søvn
  • Elfdalian: swemmen
  • Old Swedish: syfn, sømn
    • Swedish: sömn
  • Old Danish: syfn, søfn
    • Danish: søvn
      • Norwegian Bokmål: søvn
  • Gutnish: svivn, syvn, svämn, svömn