Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/feþrō

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 Pre-Germanic *péth₂reh₂, extended from the nominative stem of the Proto-Indo-European heteroclitic noun *péth₂r̥ ~ pth₂én-, from *peth₂- (“to fly”). Compare Latin penna from Proto-Italic *petnā, which is a similar extension but from the oblique stem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɸeθ.rɔː/

Noun

*feþrō f

1. feather

Inflection

ō-stemDeclension of *feþrō (ō-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*feþrō	*feþrôz
vocative	*feþrō	*feþrôz
accusative	*feþrǭ	*feþrōz
genitive	*feþrōz	*feþrǫ̂
dative	*feþrōi	*feþrōmaz
instrumental	*feþrō	*feþrōmiz

Derived terms

• *fiþriją/*gafiþriją
• *feþrōhamô (“feather-cloak, used for flying”)

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *feþru
  • Old English: feþer
    • Middle English: feþer, fether, fethere, fedder, veþer
      • English: feather
      • Scots: fedder
      • Yola: vethers (plural)
  • Old Frisian: fethere
    • Saterland Frisian: Feeder
    • West Frisian: fear
  • Old Saxon: fethara
    • Middle Low German: vēdere, vēder
      • German Low German: Feer
      • Low German: Fedder
  • Old Dutch: fethera
    • Middle Dutch: vedere
      • Dutch: veder, veer
        • Afrikaans: veer
  • Old High German: fedara
    • Middle High German: vëdere, vëder
      • Cimbrian: vèdara, bèdara
      • German: Feder
      • Luxembourgish: Fieder
      • Vilamovian: faoder
      • Yiddish: פֿעדער (feder)
    • → Italian: federa (“pillowcase”)
    • → Venetian: fhédera
      • → Cimbrian: fòdara
• Old Norse: fjǫðr
  • Icelandic: fjöður (feather, fin)
  • Faroese: fjøður
  • Norwegian:
    • Norwegian Bokmål: fjær
    • Norwegian Nynorsk: fjør
  • Old Swedish: fiæþer
    • Swedish: fjäder
  • Old Danish: fiæthær
    • Danish: fjeder, fjer
  • Gutnish: fjädar, fjedur