Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swā

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 1

From Proto-Germanic *swa.

Adverb

*swā^[1]

so, thus, in this manner

Descendants

Old English: swā
- Middle English: swa, swo, so
  - Scots: swa, sa, swae, sae
  - English: so
Old Frisian: sā
- Saterland Frisian: so
- West Frisian: sa
Old Saxon: sō
- Middle Low German: swê, swî, swô
  - Low German: so
Old Dutch: sō
- Middle Dutch: sô
  - Dutch: zo
  - Limburgish: zoe, zoea
Old High German: sō
- Middle High German: sō
  - Central Franconian: su, so
    - Luxembourgish: sou
  - German: so

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *swē.

Adverb

*swā

like, similar to
just like, in the same manner as
as if

Descendants

Old English: swā
- Middle English: so, swo
  - English: so
Old Frisian: sā
- West Frisian: sa
Old Saxon: sō
- Middle Low German: swê, swô
  - Low German: so
Old Dutch: sō
- Middle Dutch: so
  - Dutch: zo
Old High German: sō
- German: so

References

^ Ringe, Donald, Taylor, Ann (2014) The Development of Old English (A Linguistic History of English; 2), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 65: “PWGmc *swā”

[1] Ringe, Donald, Taylor, Ann (2014) The Development of Old English (A Linguistic History of English; 2), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 65: “PWGmc *swā”

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