Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/jabai

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

Alternative forms

• *ibai

Etymology

From *jabai (“on (the) condition”), dative case of *jabą (“condition, stipulation, hesitation, doubt”), from *ja, demonstrative/relative pronoun; or from Proto-Indo-European *Hyós (“already”). Cognate with Lithuanian jei (“if, when”), Albanian po.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ.βɑi̯/

Conjunction

*jabai

1. when, if

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *jabē, *jabu
  • Old English: ġef, ġif
    • Middle English: yef, yif
      • Scots: gif, gyf, gin
      • English: if, gin
  • Old Frisian: gef, ief, jef, jeft, ef, of, jof, *if
    • Saterland Frisian: af, of
    • West Frisian: of
  • Old Saxon: ef, af, of
    • Middle Low German: jof, af, of, ef, if, ift, ifte, *icht, ichte, eft, aft, oft
      • German Low German: of
  • Old Dutch: of
    • Middle Dutch: of, ofte, ochte
      • Dutch: of
  • Old High German: ibu, oba, uba, ubi, upa, upi
    • Middle High German: obe, ob, op
      • German: ob
      • Yiddish: אויב (oyb)
• Old Norse: ef, if
  • Icelandic: ef
  • Old Swedish: ef, em, um
    • Swedish: om
    • Norwegian:
      • Norwegian Nynorsk: um (influenced by um < umb)
  • Old Danish: æf, æm, um
    • Danish: om
      • Norwegian Bokmål: om
        • → Norwegian Nynorsk: om
• Gothic: 𐌾𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹 (jabai), 𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌹 (ibai), 𐌹𐌱𐌰 (iba);
  • ⇒ Gothic: 𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰 (niba), 𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌹 (nibai)

Further reading

• Gerhard Köbler, Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, i