Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/neurô

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

From Proto-Indo-European *négʷʰrō. Cognate with Latin nefrōnēs pl (Praeneste), nebrundinēs pl (Lanuvium), Ancient Greek νεφρός (nephrós), all meaning both “kidney” and “testicle”.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. The neuter gender besides the masculine may be secondary, taken analogically from other organ words that are neuter an-stems; compare *hertô, *augô, *auzô. However, the origin of this class and which words were its original basis are uncertain.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈneu̯.rɔːː/

Noun

*neurô m or n^[1]^[2]

Inflection

Declension of *neurô (masculine an-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*neurô	*neuraniz
vocative	*neurô	*neuraniz
accusative	*neuranų	*neuranunz
genitive	*niuriniz	*neuranǫ̂
dative	*niurini	*neurammaz
instrumental	*niurinē	*neurammiz

Alternative reconstructions

*neurijô (as an additional form for North Germanic)^[2]^[3]

Reconstruction notes

The cause of the y-umlaut seen in many of the North Germanic descendants is debated, but perhaps can be explained as continuing the original dative (or pre-Germanic locative) case form, either *neureni^[4] or *neureri;^[1] if so, this would render the reconstruction with suffix *-j- unnecessary. Compare *librō (“liver”) for a parallel case.

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *neurō
- Old English: *nēora, *nīora
  - Middle English: nēre, neere
    - English: near (dialectal)
    - Scots: neer, nere, neir
    - ⇒ Middle English: kidenēre, kidnēre
      - English: kidney
- Old Frisian: *niura, *niūra; *niūre
  - Saterland Frisian: Njúre
  - West Frisian: nier
- Old Saxon: *nioro
  - Middle Low German: nêre
    - German Low German: Niere, Nier, Neer
    - Plautdietsch: Nia
- Old Dutch: *nioro
  - Middle Dutch: niere
    - Dutch: nier
      - Afrikaans: nier
      - Negerhollands: nier
      - → Papiamentu: nir, nier
    - Limburgish: neer
- Old High German: nioro
  - Middle High German: niere
    - German: Niere f
      - → Luxembourgish: Nier
    - Hunsrik: Nier
    - Luxembourgish: Néier (archaic, but see Éierchen)
    - Yiddish: ניר (nir)
Old Norse: nýra
- Icelandic: nýra
- Faroese: nýra
- Norn: nyr
- Norwegian: nyre
- Old Swedish: niūre
  - Swedish: njure
- Old Danish: nyræ, niuræ
  - Danish: nyre
- Elfdalian: niųora, niųore
- ⇒ Old Gutnish: vig-niauri

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*neura/ōn-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 389
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*neur(j)ōn”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 285
^ Harðarson, Jón Axel (2017–2018) “Chapter IX: Germanic”, in Klein, Jared S., Joseph, Brian D., Fritz, Matthias, editors, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The morphology of Germanic, page 917: “*neurijan-”
^ Kroonen, Guus (2011) The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 39, footnote 27

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*neura/ōn-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 389

[HGE-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*neur(j)ōn”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 285

[3] Harðarson, Jón Axel (2017–2018) “Chapter IX: Germanic”, in Klein, Jared S., Joseph, Brian D., Fritz, Matthias, editors, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The morphology of Germanic, page 917: “*neurijan-”

[PGnS-4] Kroonen, Guus (2011) The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 39, footnote 27

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