Reconstruction talk:Proto-Germanic/barō

The Old High German word doesn't seem to exist. It occurs in MHG, but is generally considered a borrowing from Old French, just like the Dutch. Then the existence of this PG word becomes doubtful to begin with. 77.11.155.201 21:00, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

For clarity: OHG "bara" (barrier) is widely cited in the older literature, but it's apparently one of those typical dictionary phantoms. The only attestation is now interpreted as meaning a "shield", not a "barrier". See Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch. Casemir ("Die Ortsnamen des Landkreises Wolfenbüttel und der Stadt Salzgitter", 2003) clearly states: Ahd. bara 'Schranke' u.ä. ist so nicht zu belegen. 77.11.155.201 21:18, 17 February 2021 (UTC)

That may be quite true. The OHG bara likely shifted in meaning from PWG "barrier, barricade" to OHG "screen, shield, buckler" Leasnam (talk) 12:29, 21 February 2021 (UTC)

I've corrected the OHG descendant. There are separate 3 etymologies for Old High German bara. The one meaning "fenced in land, district" is the correct one reflexing back to Proto-Germanic *barō (“balk, beam”). Leasnam (talk) 03:00, 28 November 2023 (UTC)