Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swan

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *swanaz.

Noun

*swan m

1. swan

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*swan(a)
Genitive	*swanas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*swan(a)	*swanōs
Accusative	*swan(a)	*swanā
Genitive	*swanas	*swanō
Dative	*swanē	*swanum
Instrumental	*swanu	*swanum

Descendants

• Old English: swan, swon
  • Middle English: swan
    • Scots: swan
    • English: swan
• Old Frisian: *swan
  • Saterland Frisian: Swoan, Swonne, Swoon
  • West Frisian: swan
• Old Saxon: swan
  • Middle Low German: swan, swane
    • Low German: Swaan, Swoon, swan, swane
    • Plautdietsch: Schwon
    • → Norwegian: svane
    • → Danish: svane
• Old Dutch: *swan
  • Middle Dutch: swan, swāne
    • Dutch: zwaan
      • Afrikaans: swaan
    • Limburgish: zwaan
• Old High German: swan
  • Middle High German: swan
    • German: Schwan
      • → Lower Sorbian: šwon
      • → Luxembourgish: Schwan
    • Hunsrik: Schwaan
    • Luxembourgish: Schwunn (archaic)
    • Yiddish: שוואַן (shvan)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *swanaz (“boar”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewH- (“to bear, give birth”).

Noun

*swan n or m

2. swine
3. (in the plural) herd

Inflection

z-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*swan
Genitive	*swaniʀi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*swan	*swaniʀu
Accusative	*swan	*swaniʀu
Genitive	*swaniʀi	*swaniʀō
Dative	*swaniʀi	*swaniʀum
Instrumental	*swaniʀi	*swaniʀum

Related terms

• *sun
• *swīn

Descendants

• Old Saxon: swanur m
• Old High German: *swanar
  • Middle High German: swaner m
  • ⇒ Old High German: swanering m