Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wēniz

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɛː.niz/

Etymology 1

Possible vṛddhi gerundive of unattested *wenaną (“to be accustomed to, expect”), from Proto-Indo-European *wénh₁-e-ti, from *wenh₁- (“to love”). Orel however considers the word to be an adjectival derivative of the noun sense in Etymology 2, though ultimately traces the word back to *wenh₁- regardless.

Adjective

*wēniz

1. likely, to be expected
2. promising, hopeful

Inflection

Declension of *wēniz (i-stem)

strong declension
	masculine		feminine		neuter
	singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	*wēniz	*wēnijai	*wēnī	*wēnijôz	*wēnį, *-jatō	*wēnijō
accusative	*wēnijanǭ	*wēnijanz	*wēnijǭ	*wēnijōz	*wēnį, *-jatō	*wēnijō
genitive	*wēnijas, *wēnīs	*wēnijaizǫ̂	*wēnijaizōz	*wēnijaizǫ̂	*wēnijas, *wēnīs	*wēnijaizǫ̂
dative	*wēnijammai	*wēnijaimaz	*wēnijaizōi	*wēnijaimaz	*wēnijammai	*wēnijaimaz
instrumental	*wēnijanō	*wēnijaimiz	*wēnijaizō	*wēnijaimiz	*wēnijanō	*wēnijaimiz
weak declension
	masculine		feminine		neuter
	singular	plural	singular	plural	singular	plural
nominative	*wēnijô	*wēnijaniz	*wēnijǭ	*wēnijōniz	*wēnijô	*wēnijōnō
accusative	*wēnijanų	*wēnijanunz	*wēnijōnų	*wēnijōnunz	*wēnijô	*wēnijōnō
genitive	*wēnīniz	*wēnijanǫ̂	*wēnijōniz	*wēnijōnǫ̂	*wēnīniz	*wēnijanǫ̂
dative	*wēnīni	*wēnijammaz	*wēnijōni	*wēnijōmaz	*wēnīni	*wēnijammaz
instrumental	*wēnīnē	*wēnijammiz	*wēnijōnē	*wēnijōmiz	*wēnīnē	*wēnijammiz

Related terms

• *wanaz
• *wanjaną
• *weniz
• *wēnijaną
• *winiz
• *wunāną
• *wundrą
• *wunjō
• *wunskijaną

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *wānī
  • Old English: *wēne
    • ⇒ Old English: ġewēne
  • ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *anawānī
    • Old Saxon: anawāni
    • Old High German: anawāni
• Old Norse: vænn
  • Icelandic: vænn
  • Faroese: vænur
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: væn, ven; (dialectal) vén’e
  • Swedish: vän
  • Danish: væn
    • Norwegian Bokmål: ven

Etymology 2

Likely nominalized from the adjective, though Kroonen and Orel consider the noun to be the original form.

Noun

*wēniz f

1. hope, expectation
2. belief

Inflection

i-stemDeclension of *wēniz (i-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*wēniz	*wēnīz
vocative	*wēni	*wēnīz
accusative	*wēnį	*wēninz
genitive	*wēnīz	*wēnijǫ̂
dative	*wēnī	*wēnimaz
instrumental	*wēnī	*wēnimiz

Derived terms

• *wēnijaną

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *wāni
  • Old English: wēn
    • Middle English: wene, wen
      • English: ween
      • Scots: wen, wene
  • Old Frisian: wēn
  • Old Saxon: wān
  • Old Dutch: wān
    • Middle Dutch: wâen
      • Dutch: waan
        • Afrikaans: waan
      • Limburgish: waan
  • Old High German: wān
    • Middle High German: wān
      • German: Wahn
      • Luxembourgish: Woun
• Old Norse: ván, vǫ́n, vón, ón
  • Icelandic: von
  • Faroese: vón
  • Norwegian: von
  • Old Swedish: vān
  • Old Danish: wān
  • → Middle English: iwon, wane, wone
    • English: wone
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌴𐌽𐍃 (wēns)