Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/knīb

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *knībaz.

Noun

*knīb m

1. knife

   Synonyms: *dalk, *matisahs, *sahs

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*knīb
Genitive	*knības
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*knīb	*knībō, *knībōs
Accusative	*knīb	*knībā
Genitive	*knības	*knībō
Dative	*knībē	*knībum
Instrumental	*knību	*knībum

Descendants

• Old English: cnīf (possible reborrowing from Old Norse knífr or Middle Dutch cnīf, cnijf)
  • Middle English: knyf, knif
    • Scots: knyfe, knife
    • English: knife
      • Sranan Tongo: nefi
    • Yola: kunnife
    • → French: canif
• Old Frisian: *knīf
  • West Frisian: kniif, knyf, knyft
• Old Saxon: *knīf
  • Middle Low German: knîf
    • German Low German: Knief
    • Low German: knief, kniiv, knif
    • Plautdietsch: Kjnief
• Old Dutch: *cnīf
  • Middle Dutch: cnijf
    • Dutch: knijf (dialectal)
• Old High German: *knīb (?)
  • Middle High German: knîp; knîf (latter West Central German)
    • German: Kneip (dialectal); Knifte
    • Luxembourgish: Knäip
• → Vulgar Latin: *cnīfus (see there for further descendants)