Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/saiwalō

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

Uncertain with several theories:

from *saiwiz (“sea, ocean”) +‎ *-alō, in connection to the pagan Germanic belief in sacred lakes inhabited by the dead and the unborn,^[1] compare the Sami borrowing from Germanic, *Sāvjë, a realm of the dead believed to be under special double-bottomed lakes,^[2]
from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂i-wl̥ ~ *sh₂i-wéns, possibly cognate with Proto-Balto-Slavic *séiˀlāˀ (“strength, force; soul”), Latin saevus (“fierce”), Proto-Celtic *saitlom (“life, age”), Latin saeculum (“generation, lifetime”), perhaps either from *seh₂y- (“to bind”) or homonym *seh₂y- (“rage, fury”),^[3] making it possibly again related to *saiwiz (“sea, ocean”) (the connection to the Balto-Slavic is tentatively favored by Kroonen),^[4]
borrowed from a substrate,^[4]
or from *s(w)ai (“self”), from Proto-Indo-European *swoy- (“idem”), + *walō (“choice, will”), from Proto-Indo-European *wolh₁-eh₂, from *welh₁- (“to choose, want”).^[5]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsɑi̯.wɑ.lɔː/

Noun

*saiwalō f^[1]^[4]

soul, life force

Inflection

ō-stemDeclension of *saiwalō (ō-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*saiwalō	*saiwalôz
vocative	*saiwalō	*saiwalôz
accusative	*saiwalǭ	*saiwalōz
genitive	*saiwalōz	*saiwalǫ̂
dative	*saiwalōi	*saiwalōmaz
instrumental	*saiwalō	*saiwalōmiz

Derived terms

*saiwalōną

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *saiwalu
- Old English: sāwol, sāwel, sāwal, sāul, sawl, sōwhul, sawul
  - Middle English: soule
    - English: soul (see there for further descendants)
    - Scots: saul
  - → Old Norse: sála, sál
    - Icelandic: sál
    - Faroese: sál
    - Norwegian Nynorsk: sål
    - Old Gutnish: selu
- Old Frisian: sēla
  - North Frisian: siel, sial
  - Saterland Frisian: Seele
  - West Frisian: siel
- Old Saxon: sēola
  - Middle Low German: sêle
    - Low German:
      - German Low German: Seel
      - Westphalian:
        Sauerländisch: Siäle, Säile, Saile, Sǟle
        Westmünsterländisch: Seele, Sääle
    - Plautdietsch: Seel
  - → Old Norse:
    - Norwegian: sjel
    - Old Swedish: siæl, sial
      - Swedish: själ
    - Danish: sjæl
- Old Dutch: sēla
  - Middle Dutch: siele
    - Dutch: ziel
      - Afrikaans: siel
    - Limburgish: zeel
- Old High German: sēla
  - Middle High German: sēle
    - Alemannic German: Seel
    - Central Franconian: Siel
    - German: Seele
    - Luxembourgish: Séil
    - Vilamovian: zejł
Gothic: 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌰 (saiwala)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*saiwalō”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 314
^ Weisweiler, Josef (1940) “Seele und See”, in Indogermanische Forschungen (in German), volume 41, →DOI, pages 25–55
^ Walde, Alois (1923) Indogermanische Forschungen (in German), volume 12, page 382
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*saiwalō-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 423
^ Mezger, Fritz (1968) “Gotisch saiwala ‘Seele’”, in Kuhns Zeitschrift (in German), volume 82, →JSTOR, page 382

[HGE-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*saiwalō”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 314

[2] Weisweiler, Josef (1940) “Seele und See”, in Indogermanische Forschungen (in German), volume 41, →DOI, pages 25–55

[3] Walde, Alois (1923) Indogermanische Forschungen (in German), volume 12, page 382

[EDPG-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*saiwalō-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 423

[5] Mezger, Fritz (1968) “Gotisch saiwala ‘Seele’”, in Kuhns Zeitschrift (in German), volume 82, →JSTOR, page 382

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]