*fimf

Reconstruction

The numeral is *fimf in Ringe and Wiktionary,^[1][2] *fimfe in Kroonen,^[3] *fenfe in Orel,^[4] and *femf, *femfe or *fumf in Köbler.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe (“five”).^[1][3][2]

Morphology

An endingless numeral: the final short vowel of PIE *pénkʷe was lost by the regular loss of word-final non-high short vowels, through *femf.^[6] Ringe calls the word-final labial irregular.^[1] Kroonen explains it by a sporadic change of PIE *kʷ to Pre-Germanic *p after resonants in words beginning with a labial, as in *wulfaz "wolf"; the expected form was *finhwe.^[3] Orel starts from *fenxwe.^[4] Wiktionary gives a Pre-Germanic *pémpe.^[2]

Evidence

The numeral is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌼𐍆 (fimf) in Gothic, Old Norse fimm in Old Norse, and Old English fīf, Old Frisian fīf, Old Saxon fīf and Old High German fimf in West Germanic.^[3] The Crimean Gothic form is recorded as fyuf, which Feist would read with n for u.^[7][8] EWA reports Schulze's view that the Old Norse form, and the one on the Rök stone, were abstracted from the ordinal *fimftan- "fifth", and Kortlandt's that the Norse geminate reflects *mf.^[9] Notker has Old High German funf, with rounding;^[9] Feist took it as pointing to a zero-grade variant of the PIE numeral.^[7]

Competing analyses

Ringe rejects widening the change of *kʷ to a labial into a sound law triggered by any preceding labial, since words such as *ferhu- "world" would then be counterexamples.^[10] Lehmann reports Sabler's view that the basic meaning was "the five fingers of a hand", and Polomé's that it developed from "totality" through "total number of fingers".^[8] Kroonen takes *funhsti- "fist" as probably derived from the PIE numeral,^[11] and Wiktionary connects *funstiz "fist" and *fingraz "finger".^[2]

Meanings

1. five^[3][5][2][1]

Derivatives

• *fimftô "fifth", with the full grade of the cardinal in place of the zero grade of the PIE ordinal;^[3][12] Kroonen's *fimftan-, Orel's *fenftōn.^[3][13]
• *fimftehun "fifteen".^[14]
• *fimf tigiwiz "fifty",^[15] beside an older word, which Ringe traces from PIE *penkʷēḱomtah₂ to Pre-Germanic *fimfēhund-.^[16]
• *fenfe-falđjan "butterfly", which Orel explains as "(creature) of five folds".^[17]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍆𐌹𐌼𐍆 (fimf, “five”)^[7]
• Old Norse: fimm (“five”)^[18]
• Old English: fīf (“five”)^[19]
• Old Frisian: fīf (“five”)^[20]
• Old Saxon: fīf (“five”)^[21]
• Old High German: fimf (“five”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 114
2. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fimf
3. ^ a b c d e f g Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 140
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *fenfe
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *femf
6. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 141
7. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. fimf
8. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. fimf
9. ^ a b c 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. fimf
10. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 140
11. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 160
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fimftô
13. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *fenftōn
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fimftehun
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *fimf tigiwiz
16. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 230
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *fenfe-falđjan
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. fimm
19. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fīf
20. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. fīf
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. fīf