Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/paþaz

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.

Possibly borrowed from Iranian during the Alan invasion (compare Old Persian 𐎱𐎰 (p-θ /⁠paθi⁠/)), from Proto-Iranian *pántaHh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pántaHs, from Proto-Indo-European *póntoh₁s, from *pent- (“path”). Compare native Germanic *funsaz (“ready, willing”) and *finþaną (“to find, to discover, to come upon”), and additionally cognate with Sanskrit पन्था (pánthā, “way, path”).

However, the above theory has been disputed, with alternative theories taking the word as borrowed from Proto-Celtic *batos (“death, pestilence”) (whence Old Irish bath (“death”), Welsh bad (“pest, plague”)), itself from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeh₂- (“to step, go”); this theory has the constraint that the borrowing must have happened before the Celtic underwent the semantic shift "to go" > "to pass away" > "death", and Kroonen appears to ultimately favor Iranian over Celtic origin, despite suggesting both.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑθɑz/

*paþaz m

1. path

• *paþjaną
• *paþōną

• Proto-West Germanic: *paþ
  • Old English: pæþ m
    • Middle English: path, paath, paaþ, pathe, paththe, paþ, paþþe, pað, peþ (Early Middle English)
      • English: path
      • Scots: peth, paith
  • Old Frisian: path
    • Saterland Frisian: Paad, Pad (Skäddel)
    • West Frisian: paad
  • Old Saxon: path
    • Middle Low German: pat, pāt, paet
      • Low German: Pad, Paad, Padd
        • German Low German: Padd
  • Old Dutch: path
    • Middle Dutch: pat m or n
      • Dutch: pad n
  • Old High German: pfad, phad
    • Middle High German: pfat, pat, phat
      • German: Pfad m
      • Luxembourgish: Pad, Paad
• → Proto-Finnic: *padëh (see there for further descendants)