Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klammjan

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.

Presumably from Proto-Germanic *klamjaną, of unclear further etymology. If considering the material that formed clasps or clamps, namely wood or metal, then it can be derived from Proto-Indo-European *glembʰ- (“clasp; mass”), from *gel- (“form into a ball; ball”). In North Germanic all three phases of ablaut appear, klimp (“small lump”), klamp (“wooden or iron clamp”), and klump (“clump, clog”).^[1] Compare *klumpō.

*klammjan

1. to clamp
2. to squeeze

• *klammijan^[2]

• *biklammjan

• Old English: clemman, clæmman
  • Middle English: *clammen, *clemmen
    • English: clam, clem, claum, glaum (dialectal)
    • Scots: clem, clam, claum, glaum, glom
      • → English: glom
    • ⇒ Middle English: forclemmen (attested in past participle forclemmed)
• Old Frisian: klemma
  • Saterland Frisian: klämme
  • West Frisian: klimme, klamme
    • ⇒ West Frisian: klammerje
• Old Saxon: *klemmian
  • Middle Low German: klemmen
    • German Low German: klemmen
    • → Old Danish: klæme
      • Danish: klemme
    • → Old Swedish: klæmma
      • Swedish: klämma
    • → Norwegian:
      • Norwegian Bokmål: klemme
      • Norwegian Nynorsk: klemme, klemma
• Old Dutch: *klemmen
  • Middle Dutch: clemmen
    • Dutch: klemmen
      • Afrikaans: klem
      • → Papiamentu: klèm
    • Limburgish: klèmme
• Old High German: klemmen
  • Middle High German: klemmen
    • Alemannic German: chlamme, chlëmme

      Alsatian: klamme, klemme

    • Central Franconian: klemme

      Hunsrik: klemme

    • German: klemmen
    • Luxembourgish: klemmen
    • Rhine Franconian:

      Pennsylvania German: glemme

    • Yiddish: קלעם (klem)