*kamb

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs *kamb "comb" for Proto-West Germanic.^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *kambaz (“comb”),^[2][3] which Kroonen cites as *kamba-, Orel as *kamƀaz, and Köbler as *kamba-, *kambaz or *kemba-, *kembaz.^[3][4][5] In Old English the vowel was nasalised before the nasal, *kąmb, giving the Old English spellings ⟨camb⟩ and ⟨comb⟩.^[2] Wiktionary treats the runic ⟨kaba⟩ of Erfurt-Frienstedt as an earlier form of the word,^[1] and Düwel, Nedoma and Oehrl read it as the West Germanic word for "comb", from Proto-Germanic *kambaz with the final *z lost and the nasal not written.^[6]

Morphology

A masculine a-stem.^[7][8] Düwel, Nedoma and Oehrl take the final vowel of ⟨kaba⟩ for the ending of the nominative singular, which shows the inscription to be West Germanic, against the Proto-Norse and East Germanic endings.^[6] Looijenga takes ⟨kabu⟩ on the comb of Oostum for an accusative singular of an a-stem, whose ending -u can only reflect Germanic *-az.^[9]

Evidence

The comb of Frienstedt, a district of Erfurt, is dated about 250/260–310/320; its runes were found only at the end of 2011, and it is an early find among the South Germanic inscriptions.^[6] The word is attested in Old English camb,^[10] Old Saxon kamb, glossing Latin crista about 1000,^[11] and Old High German kamb, in glosses from the 9th century.^[8] The runic combs of Toornwerd and Oostum in Groningen have ⟨kobu⟩ and ⟨kabu⟩, which ONW records under Old Dutch kamba, dating Toornwerd 701–800 and Oostum 791–891.^[12] Looijenga reads ⟨aib kabu⟩ on one side of the Oostum comb, dates it to the 8th or 9th century, and notes that the nasal before a consonant of the same place of articulation is typically left unwritten in runic writing.^[9]

Competing analyses

EWA accepts ⟨kaba⟩ as a form of this word only if it is really an a-stem; if it is an n-stem, it belongs with Old High German kambo (“comb”).^[8]

Meanings

1. comb^[1][6]

Old Saxon also used the word for "crest",^[11] and Old High German for the crest of animals, the crest of a helmet, a weaver's comb and the stalk of a bunch of grapes.^[8] EWA allows two paths for the Germanic meaning: from "row of teeth" through "row of points", or from "tooth" through "teeth", to a tool with teeth.^[8]

Derivatives

• *kambijan "to comb", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Kroonen takes Proto-Germanic *kambjan- for a factitive to the noun, continued by Old English cemban, Old Saxon kembian and Old High German kemben.^[3]

Reflexes

• Old English: camb (“comb”)^[10]
• Old Saxon: kamb (“comb, crest”)^[11]
• Old High German: kamb (“comb, crest, helmet crest, weaver's comb”)^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kamb
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 144
3. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 279
4. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 209
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *kamba-, *kambaz, *kemba-, *kembaz
6. ^ a b c d Düwel, Klaus; Nedoma, Robert; Oehrl, Sigmund (2020), Die südgermanischen Runeninschriften, 2 vols, Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 119, Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. SG-36
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. camb
8. ^ a b c d e f 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
9. ^ a b Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. Oostum
10. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. camb
11. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. kamb
12. ^ Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. kamba
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *kambijaną