Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ehwaz

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

Etymology

PIE word
*h₁éḱwos

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos (horse).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈe.xʷɑz/

Noun

*ehwaz m

  1. horse
    Synonyms: *hrussą, *marhaz, *wigją
  2. (Runic alphabet) name of the rune (e)

Inflection

Declension of *ehwaz (masculine a-stem)
singular plural
nominative *ehwaz *ehwōz, *ehwōs
vocative *ehw *ehwōz, *ehwōs
accusative *ehwą *ehwanz
genitive *ehwas, *ehwis *ehwǫ̂
dative *ehwai *ehwamaz
instrumental *ehwō *ehwamiz

Usage notes

Apparently already an archaic word by the Common Germanic period; outside of compounds it is only used poetically in descendant languages, being otherwise displaced by synonyms such as *hrussą and *marhaz, and further by *parafred in continental West Germanic.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Proto-West Germanic: *ehw
    • Old English: eoh
    • Old Saxon: ehu-, eo- (in compounds)
    • Old High German: ehu- (in compounds)
  • Proto-Norse: *ᛖᚢᚨᛉ (*euaʀ), *ᛖᚢᛉ (*euʀ)
    • Old Norse: jór, eórFirst Grammatical Treatise
  • Gothic: *𐌰𐌹𐍈𐍃 (*aiƕs) (in 𐌰𐌹𐍈𐌰𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹 (aiƕatundi))
  • ? Proto-Finnic: *hëpo (see there for further descendants)