Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/maguz

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.

From Proto-Indo-European *mogʰus (“boy”), which appears to be restricted to western Indo-European branches. Cognate with Proto-Celtic *mogus (“boy, servant”), Old Irish mug, Cornish maw (“servant”).^[1] Unrelated to Proto-Celtic *makʷos (“son”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑ.ɣuz/

*maguz m

1. boy

The stem was originally *magw- alternating with *mag- next to *u as per the boukólos rule, but after the change *gw > *w would have had an alternation between *mag- and *maw- depending on the ending. This alternation is not preserved in any daughter language and presumably had been levelled in Proto-Germanic as well, but the derived noun still shows the second alternant.

• *magaþs (“maiden”)
• *mawī (“girl”)

• Proto-West Germanic: *magu
  • Old English: magu, mago
  • Old Frisian: *mago, mage
  • Old Saxon: magu
  • Old High German: *mago
    • ⇒ Old High German: *magozogo, magazogo
      • Middle High German: magezoge
• Proto-Norse: *ᛗᚨᚷᚢᛉ (*maguʀ) (attested in ᛗᚨᚷᚢ (magu, accusative singular), ᛗᚨᚷᛟᛉ (magoʀ, genitive singular))
  • Old Norse: mǫgr
    • Icelandic: mögur
• Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌿𐍃 (magus)