Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/elm

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 *elmaz ~ *ilmis, *ulmis. Alternative form *olm derives from the zero-grade,[1] and/or from Latin cognate ulmus (elm).

Noun

*elm m

  1. elm tree
  2. wood from an elm tree

Declension

Masculine a-stem
Singular
Nominative *elm
Genitive *elmas
Singular Plural
Nominative *elm *elmō, *elmōs
Accusative *elm *elmā
Genitive *elmas *elmō
Dative *elmē *elmum
Instrumental *elmu *elmum

Alternative reconstructions

  • *alm, *ulm, *olm[1]

Descendants

  • Old English: elm, *ulm m
    • Middle English: elm, alme, elme, helm, ulme
      • English: elm (dialectal ellum)
      • Scots: elm
    • Old English: ulmtrēow
      • Middle English: ulm tree, elme-tre, elmetree
  • Old Saxon: elm, alm m (alm in placenames)
    • Middle Low German: elme, elm, olm m
      • Low German: Elm, Ölm, Ilm, Ülm
  • Old Dutch: *olm m, alma f, alme-, elme-, helme- (in placenames)
  • Old High German: elm, ilme, elmo m
    • Middle High German: ëlm, ëlme, elmene, ilm, ilme, ilmene f
      • Alemannic German: Elme, Ilme, Olme
      • Middle High German: ilmboum, ilmpoum
  • >? Old High German: ulm m (native or borrowed from Latin ulmus?)
    • Middle High German: ulme f (new borrowing from Latin, or back-formation from ulmboum and influenced by Latin?)
    • Old High German: ulmboum
      • Middle High German: ulmboum, ulmpoum

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2011) “*elm, *ulmaz”, in The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 155–157