Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mistilaz

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

Alternative reconstructions

*mistilǭ f

Etymology

Derived from Proto-Indo-European *me (“with, mid”) and a zero-grade of *sed- (“to sit”) due to the fact that the plant parasitizes “sitting” on other plants, with the diminutive suffix +‎ *-ilaz or +‎ *-ilǭ known from Proto-Germanic *þistilaz (“thistle”) and Proto-West Germanic *natilā (“nettle”), compare for this derivation type Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”) and Proto-Indo-European *písdeh₂ (“pudendum”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmi.sti.lɑz/

Noun

*mistilaz m

mistletoe

Inflection

Declension of *mistilaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*mistilaz	mistilōz, mistilōs
vocative	*mistil	mistilōz, mistilōs
accusative	*mistilą	*mistilanz
genitive	mistilas, mistilis	*mistilǫ̂
dative	*mistilai	*mistilamaz
instrumental	*mistilō	*mistilamiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *mistil
- Old English: mistel
  - Middle English: mistel, mistell, mystil, mystill, mystyl
    - English: mistle
    - Scots: misle
- Old Frisian: *mistel
  - West Frisian: mistel
- Old Saxon: mistil
  - Middle Low German: mistel
    - German Low German: Mistel
    - ⇒ Plautdietsch: Mistelplaunt
- Old Dutch: *mistil
  - Middle Dutch: mistel
    - Dutch: mistel
- Old High German: mistil
  - Middle High German: mistel
    - German: Mistel
Old Norse: *mistil; mistilteinn
- Danish: mistelten
- Icelandic: mistilteinn
- Faroese: mistilteinur
- Norwegian Bokmål: misteltein
- Norwegian Nynorsk: misteltein
- Swedish: mistel
- →? Old English: misteltān (calque)
  - Middle English: mistelto, mistilte, mistilto, mysleto, mystyldene
    - English: mistletoe

References

Balles, Irene (1999) “Zum germanischen Namen der Mistel”, in Historische Sprachforschung / Historical Linguistics‎^[1] (in German), volume 112, number 1, pages 137–142