Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hlaibaz

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.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

Of unclear origin. The word could have been borrowed from an unknown language or constructed from native material in late Proto-Germanic. It has been connected by Walde 1910 to the Ancient Greek words κλίβανος (klíbanos), κρίβανος (kríbanos, “baker's oven; pan with a lid for baking bread”) and κλιβανίτης (klibanítēs, “bread baked in a κλίβανος”), which according to Beekes is probably a borrowing from an unknown substrate language. The Germanic word could well have been borrowed from the same source. If so, it would be an early borrowing, since the word then apparently displays the effects of Grimm's Law.

Compare Latvian klàips (“loaf”), Lithuanian kliẽpas (“loaf”). Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- is suggested as their origin, owing to the fact that the earliest flatbreads were disk-shaped. The Proto-Germanic word could have been borrowed from Balto-Slavic or vice versa.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈxlɑi̯.βɑz/

Noun

*hlaibaz m

bread
loaf

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *hlaibaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*hlaibaz	hlaibōz, hlaibōs
vocative	*hlaib	hlaibōz, hlaibōs
accusative	*hlaibą	*hlaibanz
genitive	hlaibas, hlaibis	*hlaibǫ̂
dative	*hlaibai	*hlaibamaz
instrumental	*hlaibō	*hlaibamiz

Usage notes

According to Kluge, the word probably referred to unleavened bread, whereas *braudą was the (more modern) leavened bread.

Derived terms

*hlaibawardaz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *hlaib
- Old English: hlāf
  - Middle English: lof, lofe, loff, loof, looffe, love, hlaf, laf (Early Middle English)
    - English: loaf
      - → Bengali: লোফ (lōph)
      - → Marshallese: ļoob
      - → Norwegian Bokmål: loff
      - → Norwegian Nynorsk: loff
      - → Scottish Gaelic: lofa
    - Scots: laif
- Old Frisian: hlēf
  - Saterland Frisian: luffe
  - North Frisian: liaf
- Old Saxon: *hlēf; *hlēfa
  - (Middle Low German: klepe?)
- Old High German: hleib, leib, leip; hlaiba, laiba
  - Middle High German: leip
    - Bavarian: Loab
    - Central Franconian: Laif (only Siegerland)
    - German: Laib
    - Rhine Franconian: Lääb, Laab
Old Norse: hleifr
- Icelandic: hleifur
- Faroese: leivur
- Norwegian: leiv
- Old Swedish: lēver
  - Swedish: lev
- Old Danish: lev
  - Danish: lev
Gothic: 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃 (hlaifs), 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌱𐍃 (hlaibs)
- → Proto-Slavic: *xlěbъ (see there for further descendants)
→ Proto-Samic: *lājpē (see there for further descendants)
→ Proto-Finnic: *laipa (see there for further descendants)