Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/alu

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

From earlier *álut, from Pre-Germanic *álud, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elut- (“beer; ruddy”), a root of disputed interpretation and descendants.^[1] Cognate with Proto-Slavic *olъ, Old Armenian աւղի (awłi).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.lu/
Rhymes: -ɑ.lu

Noun

*alu n^[1]

beer, ale

Inflection

The nominative singular lacks the final consonant of the stem. This preserves an old sound change from late PIE, where word-final *-t becomes *-d. According to Grimm's Law, *t shifted to *þ, and *d shifted to *t. Following this, word-final *-t was lost regularly.

Declension of *alu (neuter consonant stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*alu	*aluþ
vocative	*alu	*aluþ
accusative	*alu	*aluþ
genitive	*aluþiz	*aluþǫ̂
dative	*aluþi	*aluþumaz
instrumental	*aluþē	*aluþumiz

Synonyms

*beuzą

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *alu
- Old English: ealu, alu, ealo, eala, eal- — in compounds, ealaþ, ealoþ, alaþ, alþ, aloþ, eoloþ, alþes — rare, genitive singular
  - Middle English: ale, ail
    - English: ale
    - Geordie: yel
    - Scots: yill, ale, aill, ayll
    - ⇒ Yola: aalhouse
  - ⇒ Old English: brȳdealu, brȳdealo
    - Middle English: brydale
      - English: bridal
      - Scots: brydale, brydal, brydel, brydell
- Old Saxon: *alu, *alo
  - ⇒ Old Saxon: alufat, alofat
- Old Dutch: *alu, *alo
  - Middle Dutch: āle
    - Dutch: aal
    - ⇒ Middle Dutch: godale, goedale
      - → Old French: godale
        Middle French: goudale, godaille
        French: godaille
- Old High German: *alu, elo
  - ⇒? Middle High German: alschaf (“drinkware”)
  - ⇒ Old High German: *alufaz
Proto-Norse: ᚨᛚᚢ (alu)
- Old Norse: ǫl
  - Icelandic: öl
  - Faroese: øl
  - Norwegian Nynorsk: øl, ol
  - Old Swedish: øl
    - Swedish: öl
  - Old Danish: øl
    - Danish: øl
      - Norwegian Bokmål: øl, (nonstandard) øll
  - Elfdalian: öl
  - Old Gutnish: öl, ööl
    - Gutnish: öl
>? Old Norse: ǫldr
→? Proto-Finnic: *olut
- Estonian: õlu
- Finnish: olut
- Ingrian: olut
- Karelian: olut
- Livonian: vȯl
- Veps: olud
- Votic: õlud
→? Latvian: alus
→? Ossetian: ӕлутон (æluton)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*aluþ-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 23

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*aluþ-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 23

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