Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/aiw

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 *aiwaz.

Noun

*aiw m

2. long time, age, eternity

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*aiw
Genitive	*aiwas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*aiw	*aiwō, *aiwōs
Accusative	*aiw	*aiwā
Genitive	*aiwas	*aiwō
Dative	*aiwē	*aiwum
Instrumental	*aiwu	*aiwum

Derived terms

• *naiw

Alternative forms

• *aiwu

Descendants

• ⇒ Old English: āwa, ā (adverb)
  • Middle English: ō, ā
• Old Frisian: ēwa; ēwe, ē
  • West Frisian: iuw
  • ⇒ Old Frisian: ā (adverb)
• Old Saxon: ēo, ēu, ē (also adverb)
  • Middle Low German: ê, ee, eje, ewe
    • German Low German: Ehe
• Old Dutch: ēwa
  • Middle Dutch: êwe, êeu
    • Dutch: eeuw
      • Afrikaans: eeu
    • Limburgish: ieuw
  • ⇒ Old Dutch: io (adverb)
    • Middle Dutch: ie
• Old High German: ēwa, ēo, ēa
  • Middle High German: ēwe, ê
    • Alemannic German: Ee, E-e
    • German: Ehe
  • ⇒ Old High German: io (adverb)
    • Middle High German: ie
      • German: je

Etymology 2

Uncertain; probably from *aiw (“long time, age, eternity”), compare the semantics of cognates Latin iūs (“law”), Proto-Brythonic *jʉð (“judge”).

Noun

*aiw m

2. law

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*aiw
Genitive	*aiwas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*aiw	*aiwō, *aiwōs
Accusative	*aiw	*aiwā
Genitive	*aiwas	*aiwō
Dative	*aiwē	*aiwum
Instrumental	*aiwu	*aiwum

Alternative reconstructions

• *aiwu f

Derived terms

• *aiwasagō
• *aiwijan

 

Descendants

• Old English: ǣw m, ǣ f
  • Middle English: æ, e
• Old Frisian: ēwe, ē m, ā f
• Old Saxon: ēo m
• Old Dutch: ēwa f
• Old High German: ēwa f
  • Middle High German: ēwe f, ē f