Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/jabai

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 forms

*ibai

Etymology

From *jabai (“on (the) condition”), dative case of *jabą (“condition, stipulation, hesitation, doubt”), from *ja, demonstrative/relative pronoun; or from Proto-Indo-European *Hyós (“already”). Cognate with Lithuanian jei (“if, when”), Albanian po.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ.βɑi̯/

Conjunction

*jabai

when, if

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *jabē, *jabu
- Old English: ġef, ġif
  - Middle English: yef, yif
    - Scots: gif, gyf, gin
    - English: if, gin
- Old Frisian: gef, ief, jef, jeft, ef, of, jof, *if
  - Saterland Frisian: af, of
  - West Frisian: of
- Old Saxon: ef, af, of
  - Middle Low German: jof, af, of, ef, if, ift, ifte, *icht, ichte, eft, aft, oft
    - German Low German: of
- Old Dutch: of
  - Middle Dutch: of, ofte, ochte
    - Dutch: of
- Old High German: ibu, oba, uba, ubi, upa, upi
  - Middle High German: obe, ob, op
    - German: ob
    - Yiddish: אויב (oyb)
Old Norse: ef, if
- Icelandic: ef
- Old Swedish: ef, em, um
  - Swedish: om
  - Norwegian:
    - Norwegian Nynorsk: um (influenced by um < umb)
- Old Danish: æf, æm, um
  - Danish: om
    - Norwegian Bokmål: om
      - → Norwegian Nynorsk: om
Gothic: 𐌾𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹 (jabai), 𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌹 (ibai), 𐌹𐌱𐌰 (iba);
- ⇒ Gothic: 𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰 (niba), 𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌹 (nibai)