Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/swainaz

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

Either from Proto-Indo-European *s(w)e- (“separate; apart; oneself; one's own”), or derived from *swīną (“pig, swine”), that is, a "pig herder" > "young man, relative". It is also possible that both derivations converged and conflated in the descendant languages.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswɑi̯.nɑz/

Noun

*swainaz m

1. relative; kinsman
2. young man
3. herder; herdsman, swineherd

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *swainaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*swainaz	*swainōz, *swainōs
vocative	*swain	*swainōz, *swainōs
accusative	*swainą	*swainanz
genitive	*swainas, *swainis	*swainǫ̂
dative	*swainai	*swainamaz
instrumental	*swainō	*swainamiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *swain
  • Old English: swān
    • Middle English: swan, swane, swon, swone
  • Old Saxon: swēn
    • Middle Low German: swên, swein
  • Old High German: swein
    • Middle High German: swein
      • German: Schwein m (obsolete or dialectal)
• Old Norse: sveinn
  • Icelandic: sveinn
  • Faroese: sveinur
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: svein; (dialectal) sveidn
    • → Norwegian Bokmål: svein
  • Old Swedish: svēn, svæn
    • Swedish: sven
  • Old Danish: swen
    • Danish: svend
      • Norwegian Bokmål: svenn
  • → Old English: sweġen
    • Middle English: swayn, sweine, sweyn, sueyn, swain, sweyn, swein, swaine, sweyne, swane
      • English: swain
      • Scots: swaine, swane
• → Proto-Samic: *svājnës (see there for further descendants)