Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/minniz

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 *mi-n-u-is, comparative of *minu-, *mey- (“small”). Cognate with Latin minor, minus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmin.niz/

*minniz (adjective *minnizô, superlative *minnist)

1. less, to a smaller degree

This word is not directly the comparative of any other term. Instead, various adverbial formations are used to express the positive degree.

• *minnizô

• Proto-West Germanic: *minni
  • Old English: min
    • Middle English: min
      • Scots: min, myn
      • English: min
  • Old Frisian: min
    • Saterland Frisian: min
    • West Frisian: min
  • Old Saxon: *min
    • Middle Low German: min
      • Low German: minn
  • Old Dutch: min
    • Middle Dutch: min
      • Dutch: min
        • Afrikaans: min
  • Old High German: min
    • Middle High German: min
      • German: min (archaic or dialectal)
      • Luxembourgish: mann
• Old Norse: minnr
  • ⇒ Faroese: minni; minst (suppletive comparative and superlative of lítil)
  • Old Swedish: min, minner
• Gothic: 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (mins)