Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/werageld

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 *wer (“man”) +‎ *geld (“payment”).

Noun

*werageld n

1. compensation for a man's life, wergeld

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*werageld
Genitive	*werageldas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*werageld	*werageldō, *werageldōs
Accusative	*werageld	*werageldā
Genitive	*werageldas	*werageldō
Dative	*werageldē	*werageldum
Instrumental	*werageldu	*werageldum

Descendants

• Old English: weregeld, wergild
  • Middle English: wergeld, weregelt, wergelt
    • English: wergeld
    • Scots: weregilt, wargeld, warȝeld
• Old Frisian: werjeld
• Old Saxon: *werigeld
  • Middle Low German: *wêregelt, *wergelt
    • Low German: Wergeld
• Old Dutch: *werigelt
  • Middle Dutch: weregelt
    • Dutch: weergeld
• Lombardic: wergild
• Old High German: werigelt
  • Middle High German: wërgëlt
    • German: Wergeld
• → French: wergeld, weregild, wergild
• → Old French: were
  • → Spanish: wergild
• → Medieval Latin: werigeldum, weregildum, wergeldus (see there for further descendants)