From Pre-Germanic *Herwos, which could come from either Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to order, arrange, fit”) or *h₃er- (“to set in motion”).
*arwaz[1]
Strong declension | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | *arwaz | *arwai | *arwō | *arwôz | *arwą, -atō | *arwō |
Accusative | *arwanǭ | *arwanz | *arwǭ | *arwōz | *arwą, -atō | *arwō |
Genitive | *arwas, -is | *arwaizǫ̂ | *arwaizōz | *arwaizǫ̂ | *arwas, -is | *arwaizǫ̂ |
Dative | *arwammai | *arwaimaz | *arwaizōi | *arwaimaz | *arwammai | *arwaimaz |
Instrumental | *arwanō | *arwaimiz | *arwaizō | *arwaimiz | *arwanō | *arwaimiz |
Weak declension | ||||||
Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |||
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | *arwô | *arwaniz | *arwǭ | *arwōniz | *arwô | *arwōnō |
Accusative | *arwanų | *arwanunz | *arwōnų | *arwōnunz | *arwô | *arwōnō |
Genitive | *arwiniz | *arwanǫ̂ | *arwōniz | *arwōnǫ̂ | *arwiniz | *arwanǫ̂ |
Dative | *arwini | *arwammaz | *arwōni | *arwōmaz | *arwini | *arwammaz |
Instrumental | *arwinē | *arwammiz | *arwōnē | *arwōmiz | *arwinē | *arwammiz |
An old s-stem continuing Proto-Indo-European *Hérus. Compare Sanskrit अरुस् (arus, “wound”). Probably cognate to Proto-Germanic *reufaną.[2]
*arwaz n[3]
z-stemDeclension of *arwaz (z-stem) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | *arwaz | *arwizō | |
vocative | *arwaz | *arwizō | |
accusative | *arwaz | *arwizō | |
genitive | *arwiziz | *arwizǫ̂ | |
dative | *arwizi | *arwizumaz | |
instrumental | *arwizē | *arwizumiz |
In the West Germanic forms, the word was remodeled as an n-stem and picked up initial n- by metanalysis, or as the result of influence by *narwaz (“narrow”) (n-less forms such as Middle Low German are and dialectal German Arbe are also attested).