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*kunją

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Etymology and origin of the Proto-Germanic word *kunją

*kunją1 kin, family, clan

Confidence
Established
From
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-
Etymology tree of *kunją1
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-
Latin genō
Proto-Germanic *kunją
From the same root · *kunją1
Proto-Germanic *kuningaz ← *ǵenh₁-

Reconstruction

The word is *kunją in Wiktionary,[1] *kunjan in Orel,[2] and the stem *kunja- in Kroonen, who numbers it *kunja- 1, and in Köbler.[3][4] LÄGLOS gives Proto-Norse *kunja.[5]

Etymology

Kroonen and Wiktionary derive it from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, to be born”), Wiktionary through a PIE *ǵn̥h₁-yó-m "begotten".[3][1] It is a different word from Old Norse kyn (“miracle”), *kunja- 2, which Kroonen derives from another root, that of *kunnaną.[3]

Morphology

A neuter ja-stem.[3][4] Antonsen writes the Proto-Germanic stem *kun-i-, a yo-stem.[6] Old Saxon kunni also has i-stem forms.[7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹 (kuni) in Gothic, Old Norse kyn in Old Norse, and Old English cynn, Old Saxon kunni, Old Dutch cunni and Old High German kunni in West Germanic.[3] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible.[8] Antonsen reads it as the first member of the name Proto-Norse ᚲᚢᚾᛁᛗᚢᛞᛁᚢ (kunimudiu) on the Tjurkö bracteate 1, which he dates to 500 AD.[6] Finnish kunnia (“honour”) has been taken since Setälä as a loan from *kunja-;[5] Toivonen and others doubted it, Koivulehto accepted it, and LÄGLOS also names *kunja- "miracle" and *kunþija- as possible sources.[5]

Competing analyses

Orel derives it from IE *ĝn̥i̯o-, related to Ancient Greek γένος (génos) and Latin genus (“birth, descent”), and compares in particular Latin genius (“tutelary deity”) from *ĝeni̯os.[2] Feist put it with the IE root *gen- "to beget".[9]

Meanings

  1. kin, family, clan[3][1]
  2. descent[4]

Gothic used it for "tribe" and "generation",[2][8] Old Norse also for "kind" and "gender",[3] and Old High German also for grammatical gender and for mankind.[10]

Derivatives

  • *kuningaz "king", with the personifying suffix *-inga- ~ *-unga-, which Kroonen thinks was probably formed to this word.[3][11]
  • *manakunją "mankind", Orel's *mann-kunjan, which Rankin took as a calque of Latin genus humanum.[12][13]
  • *samakunjaz "of the same kin", parallel to Ancient Greek ὁμόγνιος (homógnios).[14][15]
  • *Kunimunduz, a man's name with *mundō "protection".[16]
  • In Orel, *kunja-ƀurenaz "of noble kin".[17]

Reflexes

  • Gothic: 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌹 (kuni, “lineage, tribe”)[9]
  • Old Norse: kyn (“lineage, family, kind”)[18]
  • Old English: cynn (“lineage, kind, family, race, people”)[19]
  • Old Frisian: kenn (“lineage, kinship”)[20]
  • Old Saxon: kunni (“descent, generation, tribe, people”)[7]
  • Old High German: kunni (“lineage, family, kinship, generation”)[10]

*kunją2 omen, miracle

Confidence
Probable
From
Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-
Etymology tree of *kunją2
inherited borrowed derived
Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-
Proto-Germanic *kunją
From the same root · *kunją2
Proto-Germanic *kannijaną ← *ǵneh₃-
Proto-Germanic *kunnaną ← *ǵneh₃-

Reconstruction

A second *kunją in Wiktionary,[1] Kroonen's *kunja- 2.[3]

Etymology

Kroonen calls it a ja-stem from the root of *kunnaną "to know how",[3] and Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”), through a PIE *ǵn̥h₃-yó-m "known".[1] It is thus a separate word from *kunją "clan", from a different root.[3][1]

Evidence

It survives only in Old Norse kyn (“miracle”),[3][18] which Köbler enters as a separate a-stem.[21] Wiktionary adds Finnish kone as a loan,[1] and LÄGLOS considers this word, beside *kunja- "clan", as a possible source of kunnia.[5] Kroonen finds it formally and semantically close to Lithuanian žinià (“news, knowledge, magic”), after Koivulehto.[3]

Meanings

  1. omen[3][1]
  2. portent, miracle[1]

Reflexes

  • Old Norse: kyn (“miracle”)[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kunją
  2. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *kunjan
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 311
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kunja-
  5. ^ a b c d 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. 123
  6. ^ a b Antonsen, Elmer H. (1975), A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Sprachstrukturen A 3, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. Tjurkö bracteate 1
  7. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. KUNNI
  8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kuni
  9. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kuni
  10. ^ a b 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. kunni
  11. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kuningaz
  12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *manakunją
  13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *mann-kunjan
  14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *samakunjaz
  15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *sama-kunjaz
  16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *Kunimunduz
  17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *kunja-ƀurenaz
  18. ^ a b c de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. kyn
  19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. cynn
  20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kenn
  21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. kyn

Related etymologies

  • *stainaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *beraną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fadēr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *watōr · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *ga- · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *frijaz · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *fallaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
  • *standaną · also from Proto-Indo-European
Cite this entry

“*kunją.” Etymologically, 16 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/gem-pro/*kunj%C4%85. Accessed 16 Nov. 2026.

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