*ebn

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *ebn for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz (“level, even, equal”),^[1] which Kroonen and Heidermanns cite by its stem *ebna- and Orel as *eƀnaz.^[3][4][5] EWA notes that the root vowel -e- rules out a Proto-Germanic *emna-, since *e would have become *i before a nasal and a consonant.^[6]

Morphology

An adjective.^[1][7] Heidermanns counts it among the primary adjectives.^[4] It is one of at least two words that show an epenthetic vowel in Old English already in early documents: Old English *ebn, still seen in early Mercian ⟨ebn-wēġe⟩ "equal weight" in the Corpus Glossary, became efen beside efn, and then emn.^[1] EWA explains the forms with ⟨mn⟩ by assimilation of ⟨bn⟩.^[6]

Evidence

The adjective is attested as Old English efen, Old Frisian even, Old Saxon eƀan and Old High German eban.^[1] Köbler records the Old Saxon adjective as efni, emni in glosses of the 10th century.^[8] Of the rare ja-stem Old High German ebani, EWA counts only one gloss as certainly High German rather than Old Saxon.^[6] EWA finds corresponding forms in all the Germanic languages, and calls the further etymology of the word obscure.^[6]

Meanings

1. even, level^[1][2]
2. equal^[1]

Old High German also used the adjective for "similar", "smooth" and "just",^[6] and Old English for "straight", "true" and "calm".^[9]

Derivatives

• *unebn "uneven", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[10] Old English has unefen, and Köbler compares Old Frisian uneven and Old High German uneban.^[11]
• *ebnōn "to even out, to make equal", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[12] Orel derives Proto-Germanic *eƀnōjanan from the adjective and cites Old Frisian evenia (“to smooth (the ground)”) and Old High German ebanōn.^[5]
• *ebnanaht "equinox", which Wiktionary reconstructs as a calque of Latin aequinoctium;^[13] Old English has efenniht for the Latin word, and Köbler compares Old Frisian evennacht.^[14]
• Ringe and Taylor cite the first singular *ebnattju "I level";^[15] Köbler sets up Proto-Germanic *ebnatjan "to imitate" for Old English efnettan.^[16]

Reflexes

• Old English: efen (“even, equal, straight, true, calm”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: even (“even, equal”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: efni (“even, flat, equal”)^[8]
• Old High German: eban (“equal, similar, even, smooth, flat, just”)^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 331
2. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ebn
3. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 113
4. ^ a b Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. ebna-
5. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 82
6. ^ 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. eban¹
7. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. even
8. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. efni
9. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. efen
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *unebn
11. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. unefen
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ebnōn
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *ebnanaht
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. efenniht
15. ^ Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 56
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *ebnatjan