Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bai

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

Compare Lithuanian abu (“both”), Proto-Slavic *oba, Sanskrit उभय (ubhaya), Latin (am)bō; from a common Proto-Indo-European *bʰoh₁, reflected in the neuter form *bō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑi̯/

Determiner

*bai

1. both

Inflection

Declension of *bai (irregular)

Case	masculine	feminine	neuter
	plural
nominative	*bai	*bōz	*bō
accusative	*banz	*bōz	*bō
genitive	*bajjǫ̂	*bajjǫ̂	*bajjǫ̂
dative	*baimaz	*baimaz	*baimaz
instrumental	*baimiz	*baimiz	*baimiz

The inflection of *bai resembles that found at *twai.

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic:
  • Old English: bœ̄ġen, bēġen, bēġġen (< Proto-West Germanic *bōjain, a compound formed from *bō + *jain)
    • Middle English: beȝenn, beigene, beine, beie, beye, bey
• Old Norse: beggja (genitive)
  • Icelandic: beggja
  • Faroese: beggja
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: begge
  • Old Swedish: bæggia, begge, bæggias, bægges, beggiars, bæggers
    • Swedish: bägge
  • Danish: begge
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌹 (bai)

Most languages have this word in a compound with the demonstrative *sa:

• Proto-West Germanic:
  • Old English: bā þā
    • Middle English: baþe, boþe, bayth, bothe
      • English: both
      • Scots: bathe, baith
  • Old Frisian: bēthe
    • Saterland Frisian: bee
    • West Frisian: beide
  • Old Saxon: bēthia
    • Middle Low German: bêde, beide, beyde
      • German Low German: beide, beid
  • Old Dutch: beithe
    • Middle Dutch: beide
      • Dutch: beide
        • Afrikaans: beide
  • Old High German: beidē
    • Middle High German: beide, bēde
      • German: beide
• Old Norse: báðir
  • Icelandic: báðir
  • Faroese: báðir
  • Norwegian Bokmål: både
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: både; båe
  • Elfdalian: båðer
  • Old Swedish: bāþir, bāþe
    • Swedish: både; båda
  • Danish: både