*ebnaz

Reconstruction

The adjective is *ebnaz in Wiktionary,^[1] *eƀnaz in Orel,^[2] and the stem *ebna- in Kroonen, Köbler and Heidermanns;^[3][4][5] Köbler also gives *ibna-.^[4] De Vries writes the Proto-Norse form *ebnaR.^[6]

Etymology

Kroonen, following Schaffner, takes it as a no-stem *h₁em-no- from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-, comparing Sanskrit अम्नस् (amnás, “just, just now, at once”); on this view the Germanic cluster *-bn- developed from *-mn-.^[3] Wiktionary starts from PIE *(h₁)ém-no- "equal, straight; flat, level, even", and leaves open whether it belongs to *h₁em- "to take, to distribute".^[1]

Morphology

An adjective with the suffix *-na-: Kroonen calls it a no-stem.^[3] The Gothic adjective is inflected as an a-stem.^[7] The vowel of Old Norse jafn reflects the breaking of Proto-Germanic *e before an a in the next syllable,^[8] which is why Kroonen rejects a reconstruction with *i.^[3]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃 (ibns) in Gothic, Old Norse jafn in Old Norse, and Old English efen, Old Saxon efni and Old High German eban in West Germanic.^[3][2] Old Frisian has only the adverb Old Frisian even.^[5][9] The Gothic adjective is in Wulfila's Bible, where its dative singular renders Ancient Greek πεδινός (pedinós) at Luke 6:17.^[7]

Competing analyses

Kroonen rejects the older proposals.^[3] A preform *imna-, linked with *jumja- "twin", does not fit the vocalism of Old Norse jafn; the Celtic words such as Welsh iawn would match only if they came from *h₁em-no-, but Old Irish án (“true, just”) points rather to *jāno-; and a preform *ep-nó- would have given *eppa- by Kluge's law, not *ebna-.^[3] Ringe sets the preform *epnós, after Heidermanns, beside Schaffner's *emnós.^[10] Schaffner's proposal connects the word, and some British Celtic cognates, with Sanskrit "just now, right away", but it needs a Germanic change of *mn to *bn that is hard to verify.^[10] Orel, on the other hand, equates the word with Welsh iawn (“just”) from *epno-, after Pedersen.^[2] Feist called the family etymologically obscure,^[11] and de Vries compared Latin aemulor (“to strive to equal”) and Latin imitor.^[6] Köbler compares an IE *i̯em- "to hold, to pair", with a question mark.^[4]

Meanings

1. even, level;^[3][1] equal^[5][4]

Gothic used the word for "flat" too, Old Norse for "equal" and "same",^[2] Old English also for "straight, true, calm",^[12] and Old High German for "equal, straight".^[3]

Derivatives

• *ebnalīkaz "equal, fair", with *-līkaz;^[13] Orel's *eƀna-līkaz.^[14]
• *ebnōną "to even out, to make equal";^[15] Orel's *eƀnōjanan.^[16]
• *ebnatjaną "to level" and *ebnassus, whose reflexes mean "levelness", as if it were formed directly from the adjective.^[17]
• Köbler's *ebnī- "plain".^[4]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃 (ibns, “even, level, flat”)^[11][7]
• Old Norse: jafn (“even, equal”)^[18]
• Old English: efen (“even, equal; straight; true, calm”)^[12]
• Old Frisian: even (“equally, likewise”), only as an adverb^[9]
• Old Saxon: efni (“even, flat, equal”)^[19]
• Old High German: eban (“even, equal”)^[20]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ebnaz
2. ^ a b c d Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *eƀnaz
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. 113
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *ebna-
5. ^ a b c Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. ebna-
6. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 289
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ibns
8. ^ Nielsen, Hans Frede (2000), The Early Runic Language of Scandinavia: Studies in Germanic Dialect Geography, Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. even
10. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 138
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ibns
12. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. efen
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ebnalīkaz
14. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *eƀna-līkaz
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ebnōną
16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *eƀnōjanan
17. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 325
18. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. jafn
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. efni
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. eban