Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/blīwiją

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

Unknown; possibly from a pre-form of Proto-Indo-European *mliH-wó-s, which appears to be a regional Wanderwort of substrate origin. Compare Ancient Greek μόλῠβδος (mólŭbdos, “lead”), Latin plumbum (“lead”).^[1]

Older theories tentatively derived the word from *mleh₁y- (“to be weak, weary, tired”); compare *blīþiz (“soft, mild”), and, outside of Germanic, Sanskrit म्लायति (mlā́yati, “to be weary”), Proto-Celtic *mlīnos (“weary, tired”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbliː.wi.jɑ̃/

Noun

*blīwiją n

lead (metal)

Inflection

Declension of *blīwiją (neuter ja-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*blīwiją	*blīwijō
vocative	*blīwiją	*blīwijō
accusative	*blīwiją	*blīwijō
genitive	blīwijas, blīwīs	*blīwijǫ̂
dative	*blīwijai	*blīwijamaz
instrumental	*blīwijō	*blīwijamiz

Alternative reconstructions

*blīwą^[1]^[2]^[3]

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *blīwī
- Old Frisian: *blī
  - Saterland Frisian: Bläi (possibly borrowed from Low German)
- Old Saxon: blī, blīo, blīu, *blīg
  - Middle Low German: blî, blig, blige
    - German Low German:
      Altmärkisch: Bli
      Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: Bluich
      Lippisch: Blüch, Bluig
      Sauerländisch: Bley, Blǖ, Blī
      Westmünsterländisch: Blij
    - Plautdietsch: Blie
    - → Middle English: *bli
      - ⇒ Middle English: bligeter (“lead founder”)
- Old Dutch: *blī
  - Middle Dutch: bli
    - Dutch: blij, blei (with unetymological ei)
    - Limburgish: blie
- Old High German: blīo, blīwo, blīoh (< *blīu or *blīwō)
  - Middle High German: blī
    - German: Blei
    - Luxembourgish: Bläi
    - Vilamovian: błaj
    - Yiddish: בלײַ (blay)
Old Norse: blý
- Icelandic: blý
- Faroese: blýggj, blý
- Norwegian: bly
- Old Swedish: blȳ
  - Swedish: bly
  - → Finnish: lyijy
- Old Danish: blȳ
  - Danish: bly
- Scanian: blý
- Elfdalian: bly
- Gutnish: blöi
→ Estonian: plii

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*blīwa- 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 69
^ Vladimir Orel (2003), “*ƀlīwan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 49-50
^ Kluge, Friedrich (1989), “Blei¹”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 91

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*blīwa- 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 69

[2] Vladimir Orel (2003), “*ƀlīwan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 49-50

[3] Kluge, Friedrich (1989), “Blei¹”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 91

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[2]

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