imb

See also: imb', imb-, and IMB

Maltese

Alternative forms

• imb’ (superseded)

Etymology

Univerbation of ma’ +‎ b’, fossilised in fixed impressions.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /(ɪ)mp/

Preposition

imb

1. alternative form of b’ used in a few expressions

   wiċċ imb wiċċ ― face to face

   ras imb ras ― head to head

   riħ imb riħ ― neck and neck

   mpar ― of the same age

   mbilli ― inasmuch as

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• im (preposition only)
• imm (both etymologies)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈimʲbʲ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *amban (compare Welsh ymenyn), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷen- (compare Latin unguen (“grease”), Old High German ancho (“butter”)), from *h₃engʷ- (“anoint”).

Noun

imb n or m (genitive imme, no plural)

1. butter

Inflection

Neuter n-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	imbN	—	—
vocative	imbN	—	—
accusative	imbN	—	—
genitive	imme	—	—
dative	immimL	—	—

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: im
• Manx: eeym
• Scottish Gaelic: ìm

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “imb, imm ‘butter’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *ambi (compare Welsh am), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“round about, around”). Cognate with Latin ambi-, Sanskrit अभि (abhí, “towards, over, upon”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎹 (a-b-i-y /⁠abiy⁠/, “towards, against, upon”), Old High German umbi, Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “about, around”) and the first part of Old Armenian ամբ-ողջ (amb-ołǰ, “whole”).

Preposition

imb (with the accusative)

1. around
2. about

For quotations using this term, see Citations:imb.

Inflection

Inflection of imb

	Person:		normal	emphatic
singular	first		immum
	second		immut
	third m or n	dative
		accusative	imbi, immi
	third f	dative
		accusative	impe
plural	first		immunn
	second		immib
	third	dative
		accusative	impu, impo

Forms with a definite article:

• immin, immun (“around the (masculine/feminine accusative singular)”)

Forms with a possessive determiner:

• imdu (“around your sg”)
• imma, imme (“around his/her/its/their”)

Forms with a relative pronoun:

• immo·, immua·

Descendants

• Irish: um
• Scottish Gaelic: mu
• Manx: mysh

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 imm, imb ‘around’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, pages 273, 516–18; reprinted 2017

Mutation

Mutation of imb

radical	lenition	nasalization
imb (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	imb	n-imb

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.