Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ginnaną

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

Unclear, the root has often been traced to Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to take”), e.g. by LIV. Kroonen and Scheungraber take it to be from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“to arise, begin”), with the prefix inducing voicing by Verner's law. Cognates would then include Proto-Slavic *načęti (“to begin”) and Proto-Celtic *kentus (“first”). If the meaning 'to cut open' is original, the verb could be related to *gīnaną (“to gape, to yawn”) from Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₂ey-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɣin.nɑ.nɑ̃/

Verb

*ginnaną

1. to begin
2. to make an opening, to cut open

Inflection

Conjugation of *ginnaną (strong class 3)

	active voice			passive voice
present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*ginnō	*ginnaų	—	*ginnai	?
2nd singular	*ginnizi	*ginnaiz	*ginn	*ginnazai	*ginnaizau
3rd singular	*ginnidi	*ginnai	*ginnadau	*ginnadai	*ginnaidau
1st dual	*ginnōz	*ginnaiw	—	—	—
2nd dual	*ginnadiz	*ginnaidiz	*ginnadiz	—	—
1st plural	*ginnamaz	*ginnaim	—	*ginnandai	*ginnaindau
2nd plural	*ginnid	*ginnaid	*ginnid	*ginnandai	*ginnaindau
3rd plural	*ginnandi	*ginnain	*ginnandau	*ginnandai	*ginnaindau
past tense	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*gann	*gunnį̄
2nd singular	*gannt	*gunnīz
3rd singular	*gann	*gunnī
1st dual	*gunnū	*gunnīw
2nd dual	*gunnudiz	*gunnīdiz
1st plural	*gunnum	*gunnīm
2nd plural	*gunnud	*gunnīd
3rd plural	*gunnun	*gunnīn
	present	past
participles	*ginnandz	*gunnanaz

Descendants

The verb has no attested unprefixed descendants.

• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *anaginnan
  • Old High German: *anaginnan
    • Middle High German: aneginnen
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *andaginnan (see there for further descendants)
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *biginnan (see there for further descendants)
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *gaginnan
  • Old Saxon: *gaginnan
    • Middle Low German: geginnen
  • Old High German: giginnan
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *inginnan
  • Old English: inginnan
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *undarginnan
  • Old English: underginnan
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *uʀginnan
  • Old English: āginnan
  • >? Old Dutch: āginnan (attested as hagunnan)
• ⇒ Gothic: 𐌳𐌿𐌲𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (duginnan)