Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aikwernô

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 *wer- (“squirrel”). The first component may be Proto-Germanic *aiks (“oak”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ-, or from the root of Old English ācol (“trembling, fearful”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyg- (“move quickly, stir, tremble”), cognate with Ancient Greek αἰγίς (aigís); or, after Seebold 1982, it may be from a PIE form *(w)oy-wr̥- (cf. Russian ве́верица (véverica, “squirrel”), Latin viverra (“ferret”), Proto-Celtic *wiweros (“squirrel”), etc.), with *w > *k regular between a resonant and *u by the law he proposes in place of Cowgill's law.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɑi̯.kʷer.nɔːː/

Noun

*aikwernô m^[1]

squirrel

Inflection

masculine an-stemDeclension of *aikwernô (masculine an-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*aikwernô	*aikwernaniz
vocative	*aikwernô	*aikwernaniz
accusative	*aikwernanų	*aikwernanunz
genitive	*aikwirniniz	*aikwernanǫ̂
dative	*aikwirnini	*aikwernammaz
instrumental	*aikwirninē	*aikwernammiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *aikwernō
- Old English: ācweorna, āqueorna, āquorna, ācurna, ācuaerna
  - Middle English: acquerne, aquerne, ocquerne, okerne, aquierne
    - >? English: con, conn (“squirrel”) (dialectal) (compare Old Norse íkorni)
    - >? Scots: con (“squirrel”) (compare Old Norse íkorni)
- Old Frisian: *ēkworna, *ēkhorna
  - Saterland Frisian: *Eker, *Eeker
    - >? Saterland Frisian: Katteker, Kateeker (compare German Eichkater)
  - West Frisian: iikhoarn
    - ⇒ West Frisian: iikhoarntsje
- Old Saxon: *ēkhorno
  - Middle Low German: êkhōrn, êkhōrne, eikhōrne, êkhorn, êkōrn, eikōrn, êkōrne, echhorne
    - ⇒ Dutch Low Saxon: Eekhoorntje
    - German Low German: Eekhoorn, Ekkern
      Westphalian:
      Ravensbergisch: Aik, Aikern
      Sauerländisch: Ēksken, Aikerte
      - ⇒ German Low German: Eekhoorntje
- Old Dutch: *ēcorno
  - Middle Dutch: êencōren
    - Dutch: eekhoorn
- Old High German: eihhorno, eihhurno
  - Middle High German: eichurne
    - Alemannic German: Eichhore, Eichhörnli
    - German: Eichhorn
      - ⇒ German: Eichhörnchen
    - ⇒ Hunsrik: Eichhernche
Old Norse: íkorni
- Icelandic: íkorni
- Faroese: íkorni
- Norwegian: ikorn, ekorn; (dialectal) ikorre
  - → Danish: ekorn, ikorn
    - Norwegian Bokmål: ekorn, ikorn
- Jamtish: íkuðn
- Elfdalian: aikuonn
- Old Swedish: ēkorne, īkorne
  - Swedish: ekorre, (dialectal) ikorn
- Old Danish: īkærnæ
  - Danish: egern
    - Norwegian Bokmål: egern
- Gutnish: eikånn
- Scanian: igarne

References

^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “*aikwernan- ~ *īkurnan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 10

[1] Guus Kroonen (2013) “*aikwernan- ~ *īkurnan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 10

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