Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/līną
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This Proto-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-Germanic
editEtymology
editLikely from Proto-Indo-European *līno-.
Cognates include Latin līnum and all its derivatives.
Although Greek λίνον (línon), Latin linas, Russian лён (ljon) are sometimes listed as cognates, they actually derive from *lino- with a short /i/.
Considering also the existence of a Latin root with a short /i/ and a /t/ (linteum), reconstruction of a common PIE protoform is impossible, and no similarly sounding terms are attested outside of Europe.
If such roots were borrowed from one or several non-IE languages, locating the source is impossible because cultivation of linen was ubiquitous in the region since the Neolithic.
Pronunciation
editNoun
edit*līną n
Inflection
edit| neuter a-stemDeclension of *līną (neuter a-stem) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | *līną | *līnō | |
| vocative | *līną | *līnō | |
| accusative | *līną | *līnō | |
| genitive | *līnas, *līnis | *līnǫ̂ | |
| dative | *līnai | *līnamaz | |
| instrumental | *līnō | *līnamiz | |
Descendants
edit- Proto-West Germanic: *līn
- Proto-Norse: ᛚᛁᚾᚨ (lina)
- Gothic: 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽 (lein)
- → Proto-Finnic: *liina (see there for further descendants)
- → Proto-Samic: *lijnē
Further reading
edit- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “līnum”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 344