Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/happjā

This Proto-West 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.

Uncertain; possibly from Proto-Germanic *hap- (“to bend, curve”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kemb- (“to bend, curve”); or related to Ancient Greek κοπίς (kopís, “cleaver”), Lithuanian kàpti (“to chop”), Proto-Slavic *kopati (“dig, till”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kep- (“to cut, cleave”); possibly a merger of both.

*happjā f

1. a tool used for cutting or pruning (e.g. knife, billhook, sickle, axe, etc.)

• *happā, *hapā

• *hapsijā/*haspijā

• Old Saxon: *heppia, *hepa
  • Middle Low German: heppe, hēpe, heipe
• Old Dutch: *hepa
  • Middle Dutch: hēpe
    • Dutch: heep, (dialectal) hiep
• Old High German: habba, hābba, happa, hebba, heppa
  • Middle High German: happe, hepe, heppe
    • German: Hippe (“billhook”), (dialectal) Heppe
  • → Old French: happe, hape
    • Middle French: happe, hape (“axe", also "curved piece of metal used as a clamp, crampon”)
      • French: happe (extant senses mostly derived from the related verb happer)
• → Vulgar Latin: *happia (see there for further descendants)

• “Hippe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “hâppia”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 16: Germanismes: G–R, page 144