Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/selhaz

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

Unknown. Likely either from pre-Proto-Finnic *šülkeš (later Proto-Finnic *hülgeh; compare Finnish hylje, Estonian hüljes) or from a related substrate source. Derivation from Proto-Indo-European *selk- (“to pull”), while possible, is ad hoc.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsel.xɑz/

Noun

*selhaz m

seal (animal)

Inflection

Declension of *selhaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*selhaz	selhōz, selhōs
vocative	*selh	selhōz, selhōs
accusative	*selhą	*selhanz
genitive	selhas, selhis	*selhǫ̂
dative	*selhai	*selhamaz
instrumental	*selhō	*selhamiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *selh
- Old English: seolh
  - Middle English: *selh, sele
    - Early Scots: selich
      - Scots: selch, selkie, silkie
    - English: seal
- Old Frisian: *selch
  - North Frisian: selich
- Old Saxon: *selh, *selah
  - Middle Low German: sēl, sale
    - Plautdietsch: Säajel
    - ⇒ Low German: saalhund
- Old Dutch: *selh
  - Middle Dutch: sēel, sāel, sēle
- Old High German: selah
  - Middle High German: sëleh
    - German: Seel (obsolete)
      - ⇒ German: Seelhund ⇒ Seehund
Old Norse: selr
- Icelandic: selur
- Faroese: selur
- Norwegian: sel
- Old Swedish: siæl, sæl
  - Swedish: säl
- Danish: sæl
- Gutnish: själ