*kambaz

Reconstruction

The word is *kambaz in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *kamba- in Kroonen, Köbler and EWA,^[3][4][5] *kamƀaz in Orel^[6] and *kamba-z in LÄGLOS.^[7]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth, peg”):^[2] Ringe starts from PIE *ǵómbhos "row of teeth",^[1] Kroonen from *ǵombʰ-o-,^[3] and EWA from *ĝómbho-, properly a noun of the result, "a bite".^[5]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[3][4] Ringe cites it for the development of PIE *ǵ to Proto-Germanic *k.^[1] The root has an e-grade in Kroonen's n-stem *kimbōn- "crest, ridge", from *ǵembʰ-on-,^[8] and Bammesberger sets the Germanic root up as *kemb-.^[9]

Evidence

The word is North and West Germanic: Old Norse kambr, Old English camb, Old Saxon kamb and Old High German kamb;^[3] Gothic has no form.^[3] It appears early on runic combs: EWA gives ⟨kaba⟩ on the comb of Frienstedt, from the middle of the 3rd century, as a West Germanic form, if it is an a-stem and not an n-stem.^[5] In Frisian, Looijenga reads the accusative ⟨ka[m]bu⟩ on a comb from Oostum, dated to the 8th or 9th century, and the nominative ⟨kobu⟩, that is ⟨ko(m)bu⟩, on a comb from Toornwerd of the 8th century; the ending -u of a masculine a-stem can only continue *-az.^[10] A comb from Elisenhof with ⟨kabr⟩ shows the North Germanic development;^[11] Looijenga dates it to the end of the 10th century, EWA to the late 9th or early 10th.^[11][5] Finnish kampa (“comb”) is a Germanic loan, but LÄGLOS finds that its sound shape does not decide whether it was borrowed from Proto-Germanic, Proto-Norse or even later Swedish.^[7] Kroonen's cognates include Ancient Greek γόμφος (gómphos, “peg, bolt, nail”), Tocharian A kam (“tooth”), Tocharian B keme (“tooth”) and Albanian dhëmb (“tooth”).^[3][6]

Meanings

1. comb^[3][6][2][4]

Old Norse also used the word for a card for wool and for a jagged mountain ridge,^[12] and Old High German for the crest of an animal and of a helmet.^[5] Outside Germanic the cognates mostly mean "tooth".^[3][6]

Derivatives

• *kambijaną "to comb";^[13] Kroonen's *kambjan-, the factitive to the noun,^[3] and Orel's *kamƀjanan.^[6]
• *kimbōn- "crest, ridge" in Kroonen, an n-stem related to the noun;^[8] Orel's *kemƀaz "rim", which he thinks probably related.^[14]

Reflexes

• Old Norse: kambr (“comb, card, jagged ridge”)^[12]
• Old English: camb (“comb”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: kamb (“comb”)^[16]
• Old Dutch: kamba (“comb”)^[5]
• Old High German: kamb (“comb, crest”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 119
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kambaz
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 279
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kamba-
5. ^ a b c d e f g Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. kamb
6. ^ a b c d e Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 209
7. ^ a b Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 34
8. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 287
9. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 53
10. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 304–305
11. ^ a b Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 305
12. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kambr
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kambijaną
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 212
15. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. camb
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kamb