*twai

Reconstruction

The masculine nominative is *twai in Kroonen, Köbler and Wiktionary;^[1][2][3] Kroonen heads the numeral *twa-,^[1] Orel *twō(u).^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”), with a plural ending.^[3][5] Ringe allows that the inherited form gave *twō, perhaps continued in Old English twēġen, or *twai with plural inflection, as in Gothic.^[5]

Morphology

Kroonen reconstructs the paradigm masculine *twai, accusative *twans, feminine *twōz, neuter *tū, genitive *twajjan, dative *twaimiz, from Pre-Germanic *du-oi, *du-ons, *du-eh₂-es, *du-h₂, *du-oi-óm, *du-oi-mis.^[1] Ringe calls the inflection very difficult to reconstruct: the dative *twaimaz and instrumental *twaimiz and the genitive *twajjǭ, with an unparalleled *jj, are secure, but beyond that the languages diverge.^[6] He follows Cowgill in taking the Gothic neuter 𐍄𐍅𐌰 (twa) as an old uninflected form, and holds that the Old Saxon neuter twē can only continue *twai from the PIE neuter dual *dwóy(h₁).^[6] For Kroonen, the old neuter *tū survives in Old English tū and was replaced in Gothic and Old High German.^[1] Orel derives the West Germanic masculines, such as twēġen, from a secondary *twajina-.^[4]

Evidence

The numeral is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌹 (twai), Old Norse tveir, twēġen, Old Frisian twēne, Old Saxon twēne and Old High German zwēne.^[1] Gothic has the feminine 𐍄𐍅𐍉𐍃 (twos), the neuter 𐍄𐍅𐌰 (twa) and the genitive 𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌳𐌾𐌴 (twaddje).^[7] De Vries takes tveir as an analogical new formation from Proto-Norse *twai, and cites the Swedish runic form on the Rök stone of about 700.^[8] Outside Germanic, Orel compares Ancient Greek δύο (dúo), Latin duo, Proto-Slavic *dъva and Tocharian B wi.^[4]

Meanings

1. two^[1][2][3]

Old High German also used it for "both".^[9]

Derivatives

• *twalif "twelve", with *-lif "left over";^[10] Orel writes *twalifa.^[11]
• *twai tigiwiz "twenty", with the plural of *teguz "decad".^[12][3]
• Old High German zubar (“tub”), a compound of *twai and *beraną "to carry", which some have taken as the source of Proto-Slavic *čьbьrъ (“wooden tub”).^[13]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌹 (twai, “two”)^[14]
• Old Norse: tveir (“two”)^[8]
• Old English: twēġen (“two”), feminine twā, neuter tū^[15]
• Old Frisian: twēne (“two”), feminine and neuter twā^[16]
• Old Saxon: twēne (“two”), feminine twā, neuter twē^[17]
• Old High German: zwēne (“two, both”), feminine zwā, neuter zwei^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 529
2. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *twai
3. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *twai
4. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 414
5. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 146
6. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 318
7. ^ 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. 378
8. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 601
9. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. zwēne
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *twalif
11. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 413
12. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 320
13. ^ Pronk-Tiethoff, Saskia (2013), The Germanic Loanwords in Proto-Slavic, Leiden Studies in Indo-European 20, Amsterdam / New York: Rodopi, p. s.v. *čьbьrъ
14. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 287
15. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. twēgen
16. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. twēne
17. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. twêne