Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swēbaz

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.

Unknown. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *swé (“oneself”, reflexive pronoun) with an uncertain second component, sometimes taken to be *bʰuH- despite formal difficulties. Compared to Proto-Slavic *svobodà (“freedom”), Latvian atsvabināt (“to free”). In Germanic, compare especially *sibjō (“kinship; friendship”) and Old Norse Sif (name of a goddess), plausibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰyo, the dative form of the pronoun. Note also the ethnonym *swihô (“Swede”), which like *swēbaz retains the *w. However, all connections are problematic in one way or another.

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• IPA^(key): /ˈswɛː.βɑz/

*swēbaz m

1. someone of the Suebi (a Swabian, but this has a modern meaning)

• *Swēbaharjaz

• Proto-West Germanic: *swāb
  • Old English: Swǣfas pl, Swǣfe
  • Old Dutch: Swāf (given name)
    • ⇒ Old Dutch: *Swāvīn (given name)
  • Old High German: swāb, swāp, suāb, suāp
    • Middle High German: swāp, swābe
      • German: Schwabe
        • → Dutch: Zwaab
        • → Romanian: șvab
• Proto-Norse: *ᛊᚹᚨᛒᚨᛉ (*swabaʀ /⁠swābaɹ̝̊⁠/)
  • ⇒ Proto-Norse: ᛊᚹᚨᛒᚨᚺᚨᚱᛃᚨᛉ (swabaharjaʀ /⁠Swābaharjaɹ̝̊⁠/)
    • Old Norse: Sváfarr
  • Old Norse: *sváfr
    • ⇒ Old Norse: Sváfa
    • ⇒ Old Norse: Sváfaland
• → Latin: Suēbus (plural Suēbī), Suēvus (plural Suēvī), Suēbia, Suābia
  • Catalan: sueu, Suèvia
  • Galician: suevos; Suevos, Suegos (place names)
  • → Ancient Greek: Σούηβος (Soúēbos)
  • → German: Sueben
  • → English: Suebi, Suevi, Swabia