cipë

See also: cipe, -cipe, CIPE, and cipę

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *ḱeip- (“to cut”), while being an intermediary step to thipë (“bread crust”). The transformation of PIE palatal ḱ into affricate c (t͡s) and later aspirant th (θ) is common in Albanian. Regarding the semantic development, Jokl throws a parallel with Latin corium (“skin”) and cortex (“tree bark”) from PIE *(s)ker- (“to cut”).^[1]^[2]
Alternatively, a derivative of cip (“point tip”), or (if from t(ë?)- + *zipë) connected to a hypothetical Proto-Indo-European *gʰwíbʰ- (“shame, pudenda”) (though the -p- instead of the expected *-b- remains unexplained) which has been postulated for an etymology (itself speculative, suggested in 1989^[3]) connecting English wife with Tocharian A kwīpe, Tocharian B kip (“vagina”).
Fits within the lexical and phonetic systems of Albanian, related to the families of words of cep, cip, thep, thipë, etc. with many semantic branches. Has gone into other Balkan languages.^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈt͡sipə/

Noun

cipë f (plural cipa, definite cipa, definite plural cipat)

membrane, peel
Synonyms: lëkurë, cepë, leskër, lëmazë, mazë, vëmesë, caf
milk skin
Synonym: mazë
outer bark
Synonym: lëvore
water scum
Synonym: lëmashk
thin bridal veil
Synonyms: vello, cipull, birinajë
(figurative) shame, pudenda
(Cham) thin and dense sieve
(Cham) women's headscarf
Synonyms: shami, çember, mafes

Declension

Declension of **cipë**
	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	cipë	cipa	cipa	cipat
accusative	cipë	cipën	cipa	cipat
dative	cipe	cipës	cipave	cipave
ablative	cipe	cipës	cipash	cipave

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ Aromanian: cipă (“white or red handkerchief, with embroidered edges”)
→ Bulgarian: ци́па (cípa, “thin skin”)
→ Greek: τσίπα (tsípa, “milk skin”)
→ Romanian: țipă (“thin veil; peritoneum”)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Jokl, Norbert (1929), Balkangermanisches und Germanisches im Albanischen. In Festschrift der 57. Versammlung deutscher Philologen und Schulmänner in Salzburg vom 25. bis 29. September 1929 gewidmet, Wien: Rohrer, page 127
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Çabej, E. (1987), “cipë”, in Studime etimologjike në fushë të shqipes (in Albanian), volumes III: C–D, Tirana: Akademia et Shkencave e Republikës Popullore të Shqipërisë, Instituti i Gjuhësisë dhe i Letërsisë, pages 44-45
^ Klaus Totila Schmit and Klaus Strunk, “Toch. B kwī̆pe ‘Schaum, Schande’, A kip ‘Schaum’ und germ. *wīƀa ‘Weib’”, Indogermanica Europaea: Festschrift für Wolfgang Meid (Graz: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Graz, 1989), pages 251-284