Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-ilaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology 1

Formally appears to be a thematicized variant of Proto-Indo-European *-lós.

Kroonen (2017) instead derives this from the Proto-Indo-European *-trom family of instrumental nominal suffixes, specifically the lambdacized variants Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom and Proto-Indo-European *-tlom. The former suffix and the voiced Verner's alternant of the latter would undergo an assimilation to *-lla-. The geminate consonant would have later shortened to make *-la- which was suffixed onto stems with *-yeti, forming the Germanic agent suffix.

Suffix

*-ilaz

1. agent suffix

Derived terms

► Proto-Germanic words suffixed with *-ilaz

Descendants

• Old English: -el, -ol, -ul
  • Middle English: -el
    • English: -el, -le
• Old Frisian:
  • West Frisian: -el
• Old Saxon: -al, -il
  • Middle Low German: -el
    • Low German: -el
• Old Dutch:
  • Dutch: -el
• Old High German:
  • German: -el
• Old Norse: -ill m, -la f
  • Faroese: -il m

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-European *-elo-, thematized from Proto-Indo-European *-lós.

Suffix

*-ilaz

1. diminutive suffix

Derived terms

► Proto-Germanic words suffixed with *-ilaz

Descendants

• Old English: -el, -il
  • Middle English: -el
    • English: -el, -le
• Old High German: -il
  • German: -el
• Old Norse: -ill m, -la f
  • Faroese: -il m
• (possibly) -ila in Attila