Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/halbaz

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

Apparently from a pre-Germanic *kolp-ó-s, of unclear further origin.^[1] Possibly from a p-extension of Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut”) (through a sense “divided”), and cognate with Sanskrit कॢप् (kḷp, “to manage, succeed, be fit”) (though Kroonen is skeptical due to the wide semantic gap^{[note 1]}),^[2] or from a stem *ḱol-bʰo-, and cognate with Lithuanian šalìs (“side, strip of land”).^[3] Alternatively, a recent theory suggests borrowing from Proto-Finnic *halpa, *halba- (“cheap, reduced”) (compare Finnish halpa (“cheap”), Estonian halb (“bad”)),^[4] itself possibly from Proto-Germanic *salwaz (“sallow, dirty”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈxɑl.βɑz/

Adjective

*halbaz

half
Synonyms: *sēmi-, *twaidijaz

Inflection

Declension of *halbaz (a-stem)

Strong declension
Case	Masculine		Feminine		Neuter
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*halbaz	*halbai	*halbō	*halbôz	*halbą, -atō	*halbō
Accusative	*halbanǭ	*halbanz	*halbǭ	*halbōz	*halbą, -atō	*halbō
Genitive	*halbas, -is	*halbaizǫ̂	*halbaizōz	*halbaizǫ̂	*halbas, -is	*halbaizǫ̂
Dative	*halbammai	*halbaimaz	*halbaizōi	*halbaimaz	*halbammai	*halbaimaz
Instrumental	*halbanō	*halbaimiz	*halbaizō	*halbaimiz	*halbanō	*halbaimiz

Weak declension
Case	Masculine		Feminine		Neuter
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*halbô	*halbaniz	*halbǭ	*halbōniz	*halbô	*halbōnō
Accusative	*halbanų	*halbanunz	*halbōnų	*halbōnunz	*halbô	*halbōnō
Genitive	*halbiniz	*halbanǫ̂	*halbōniz	*halbōnǫ̂	*halbiniz	*halbanǫ̂
Dative	*halbini	*halbammaz	*halbōni	*halbōmaz	*halbini	*halbammaz
Instrumental	*halbinē	*halbammiz	*halbōnē	*halbōmiz	*halbinē	*halbammiz

Derived terms

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *halb
- Old English: healf, half, halb
  - Middle English: half
    - English: half (see there for further descendants)
    - Scots: hauf
    - Yola: halleef, halef, halluf
- Old Frisian: half
  - Saterland Frisian: hoolf
  - West Frisian: heal
- Old Saxon: half
  - Middle Low German: half
    - Low German: half, halv
    - Plautdietsch: haulf
- Old Dutch: *half
  - Middle Dutch: half
    - Dutch: half
      - Afrikaans: half
- Old High German: halb, halp; half (Central German)
  - Middle High German: halp; half
    - Bavarian: hoib
    - Central Franconian: hallev
      Hunsrik: halleb
      Luxembourgish: hallef
    - Cimbrian: halp
    - German: halb
    - Yiddish: האַלב (halb)
Old Norse: halfr, hálfr — western dialects
- Icelandic: hálfur
- Faroese: hálvur
- Norwegian Nynorsk: halv, (dialectal) halv’u, hålv’e, håv’e, alv’e
- Elfdalian: åv
- Old Swedish: halve
  - Swedish: halv
- Old Danish: half
  - Danish: halv
    - Norwegian Bokmål: halv
  - Scanian: halver
- Gutnish: halvar
Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍃 (halbs)

Notes

^ However, compare Sanskrit कल्पयति (kalpayati, “to trim, cut”), the semantics of which may be closer.

References

^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “*halba-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 204
^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “*xalƀaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154
^ American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots
^ Hyllested, Adam (2014) Word Exchange at the Gates of Europe: Five Millennia of Language Contact (PhD. dissertation)‎^[3], Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen, pages 103–105

[2] However, compare Sanskrit कल्पयति (kalpayati, “to trim, cut”), the semantics of which may be closer.

[1] Guus Kroonen (2013) “*halba-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 204

[3] Vladimir Orel (2003) “*xalƀaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 154

[4] American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots

[5] Hyllested, Adam (2014) Word Exchange at the Gates of Europe: Five Millennia of Language Contact (PhD. dissertation)‎^[3], Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen, pages 103–105

[1]

[note 1]

[2]

[3]

[4]