Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/samft(ī)

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

Alternative reconstructions

• *samft

Etymology

Likely from Proto-Germanic *samþuz, *samftuz (“gentleness”) +‎ *-ī (adjective suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *sóm-tu-s, from *sem- (“one, same”). Cognate with Sanskrit सान्त्व (sāntva, “consolation; gentle, mild”), Proto-Celtic *sāmos (“calm, easy, pleasant”), and possibly Ancient Greek ἥμερος (hḗmeros, “tame, civilized, cultivated”).

Adjective

*samft(ī)

1. soft
2. gentle

Inflection

a-stem
Singular	Masculine
Nominative	*samft
Genitive	*samftas
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*samft	*samftu	*samft
Accusative	*samftanā	*samftā	*samft
Genitive	*samftas	*samfteʀā	*samftas
Dative	*samftumē	*samfteʀē	*samftumē
Instrumental	*samftu	*samfteʀu	*samftu
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*samftē	*samftō	*samftu
Accusative	*samftā	*samftā	*samftu
Genitive	*samfteʀō	*samfteʀō	*samfteʀō
Dative	*samftēm, *samftum	*samftēm, *samftum	*samftēm, *samftum
Instrumental	*samftēm, *samftum	*samftēm, *samftum	*samftēm, *samftum

ja-stem
Singular	Masculine
Nominative	*samftī
Genitive	*samftijas
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*samftī	*samftiju	*samftī
Accusative	*samftijanā	*samftijā	*samftī
Genitive	*samftijas	*samftijeʀā	*samftijas
Dative	*samftijumē	*samftijeʀē	*samftijumē
Instrumental	*samftiju	*samftijeʀu	*samftiju
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	*samftijē	*samftijō	*samftiju
Accusative	*samftijā	*samftijā	*samftiju
Genitive	*samftijeʀō	*samftijeʀō	*samftijeʀō
Dative	*samftijēm, *samftijum	*samftijēm, *samftijum	*samftijēm, *samftijum
Instrumental	*samftijēm, *samftijum	*samftijēm, *samftijum	*samftijēm, *samftijum

Alternative reconstructions

• *samþī

Related terms

• *sōmī

Derived terms

• *samftō

Descendants

• Old English: sēfte, sœ̄fte, sōfte, sōft, sēft
  • Middle English: softe, soufte, zofte (Kent)
    • English: soft
    • Scots: saft
    • Yola: zaft
• Old Frisian: sēfte, sēft
  • West Frisian: sêft
• Old Saxon: *sāfti
  • Middle Low German: safte, sachte
    • Dutch Low Saxon:

      Twents: sacht

    • German Low German:

      Altmärkisch, Low Prussian, Westphalian (Westmünsterländisch): sacht

      Low Prussian, Westphalian (Bentheimisch, Dortmundisch, Sauerländisch, Westmünsterländisch): sachte

      • → German: sacht
    • → Danish: sagte
    • → Swedish: sakta
• Old Dutch: sāfti
  • Middle Dutch: sachte
    • Dutch: zacht
• Old High German: semfti, samfti, senfti
  • Middle High German: semfte, senfte, sanfte
    • Alemannic German: sanft
    • German: sanft

Further reading

• Friedrich Kluge (1989) “sanft”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 617: “*samftja-”
• Vladimir Orel (2003) “*samþjaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 318
• Guus Kroonen (2013) “*sampu-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 426