Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/balkô

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

Traditionally derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“beam, plank”). However, in light of Winter's law as applied to Balto-Slavic cognates such as Proto-Slavic *bolzìna (“beam, board”) and Lithuanian balžíenas (“cross-beam”), Kroonen prefers to derive the root from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ-on-, from *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”), and notes relation to Proto-Germanic *balgiz (“bag”) in spite of the divergent semantics.^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbɑl.kɔːː/

Noun

*balkô m

beam, balk

Inflection

masculine an-stemDeclension of *balkô (masculine an-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*balkô	*balkaniz
vocative	*balkô	*balkaniz
accusative	*balkanų	*balkanunz
genitive	*balkiniz	*balkanǫ̂
dative	*balkini	*balkammaz
instrumental	*balkinē	*balkammiz

Related terms

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *balkō, *balk
- Old English: bælca, bealca
- Old Frisian: balka
  - Saterland Frisian: Boolke
  - West Frisian: balke
- Old Saxon: balko
  - Middle Low German: balke
    - Plautdietsch: Baulkjen
    - → Estonian: palk
- Old Dutch: *balco
  - Middle Dutch: balke
    - Dutch: balk
      - Afrikaans: balk
      - Negerhollands: balk
      - → Caribbean Javanese: baleg, balok
      - → Javanese: ꦧꦭꦺꦴꦏ꧀ (balok)
        → Indonesian: balok
      - → Malay: balak
        > Indonesian: balak (inherited)
      - → Papiamentu: balki (from the diminutive)
      - → Saramaccan: báíki
      - → Sranan Tongo: barki, balk
        → Caribbean Hindustani: barki
    - Limburgish: balk
- Old High German: balko, balcho, palcho, balco
  - Middle High German: balke
    - German: Balken
      - → Kashubian: balka
      - → Slovincian: balka
    - → Old Polish: balka, balk
      - Polish: belka, bałk, belk, bełk, bełka (Middle Polish), balk, balka, bałek, bałka, belek (obsolete)
      - Silesian: bŏlka, balek, balk, belek, bŏlek
- Lombardic: palk
  - → Italian: palco
- → Medieval Latin: balcō (see there for further descendants)
Old Norse: bǫlkr (< *balkuz)
- Icelandic: bálkur
- Faroese: bólkur
- Norwegian Bokmål: bolk
- Norwegian Nynorsk: bolk
- Old Swedish: balker, bolker
  - Swedish: balk
    - → Finnish: palkki
- Danish: balk
- → Old English: balca, bealca, bælca
  - Middle English: balke, bauke
    - English: balk
    - Scots: bauk
    - Yola: balke
Old Norse: bjalki (< *belkô)
- Icelandic: bjálki
- Faroese: bjálki
- Norwegian Bokmål: bjelke
- Norwegian Nynorsk: bjelke
- Old Swedish: biælke
  - Swedish: bjälke
- Danish: bjælke
>? Old Norse: *bjalk (< *belkō)

References

^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “*belkan- ~ *balkan- ~ *bulkan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 58

[1] Guus Kroonen (2013) “*belkan- ~ *balkan- ~ *bulkan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 58

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