𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃

Forms

𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃 (ibns), an adjective of the a-declension.^[1][2] The strong form is recorded once, as the dative singular masculine 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 (ibnamma).^[3][4] The weak 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰 (ibna) "equal", which Köbler enters separately, is recorded as 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃 (ibnans), 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰 (ibna) and 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍉𐌽 (ibnon); the Wulfila project counts these forms under ibns.^[5][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *ebnaz (“even, level”),^[6][7][8] with Old Norse jafn, Old English efen, Old Saxon eban and Old High German eban.^[9][7] Its further origin is disputed.^[9][7] Johansson explained it as a participle in ⟨-no-⟩ to the root of Latin aemulor (“to try to equal”) and imitor (“to imitate”), with ⟨mn⟩ becoming ⟨bn⟩;^[10][11] Feist calls the family etymologically obscure and rejects that comparison.^[9] Grienberger took it for an old participle of the root "to go", for something that stretches out or can be walked on.^[12] Orel identifies it with Welsh iawn (“just”).^[8] Kroonen reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *(h₁)ém-no-, a stem in ⟨-no-⟩ whose root is also in Sanskrit अम्नस् (amnás, “just now”), so that ⟨bn⟩ arose from ⟨mn⟩; he rejects a reconstruction with i, because the vowel of jafn requires Germanic e.^[7][6]

Attestation

The Wulfila project counts four tokens: the strong ibnamma at Luke 6:17 and the weak ibnans at Luke 20:36, both in CA, and the weak ibna and ibnon in the Skeireins, in E.^[5] PROIEL aligns ibnamma with Ancient Greek πεδινός (pedinós);^[13] the weak form renders Ancient Greek ἴσος (ísos).^[3][4] Luke 6:17 reads jah atgaggands dalaþ miþ im gastoþ ana stada ibnamma, "and coming down with them he stood on a level place".^[14]

Meanings

1. level, flat, for πεδινός.^[1][2][13]
2. In the weak form: equal, like, for ἴσος.^[3][4][15]

Word family

• 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐍃 (ibnassus, “equality”)
• 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gaibnjan, “to make level”)
• 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (ibnaleiks, “of similar form”)
• 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌿𐌽𐍃 (ibnaskauns)

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. ibns
2. ^ a b Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 87
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. ibns
4. ^ a b c 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. ibns
5. ^ a b De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
6. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌹𐌱𐌽𐍃
7. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 113
8. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 82
9. ^ a b c Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. ibns
10. ^ Johansson, Karl Ferdinand (1891), Gotische Etymologieen, Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 15, 223ff.
11. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 88
12. ^ Grienberger, Theodor von (1900), Untersuchungen zur gotischen Wortkunde, Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, phil.-hist. Classe 142, Wien
13. ^ a b Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
14. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Lk 6:17
15. ^ Balg, G. H. (1887–1889), A Comparative Glossary of the Gothic Language, with Especial Reference to English and German, Mayville, Wis.: the author, p. 197