Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/frawjô

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

From the unattested Proto-Germanic *frawiz or *frawaz and the suffix *-jô, the stem being of debated origin:^[1] Possibly inherited from Proto-Indo-European *proHwo-, a derivation from *per(H)- (“to go forward; in front”). Potential cognates include Latin prōvincia (“territory, dominion, office, duty, province”), Russian пра́вый (právyj, “right”), Polish prawo (“law”). However, Kroonen notes phonetic difficulties with this derivation. For an alternative he proposes a link to *fraiwą (“seed”) involving metathesis, and that the sense of sowing or fertility may even be preserved in the mythological associations of Old Norse Freyja. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɸrɑu̯.jɔːː/

Noun

*frawjô m^[1]^[2]

lord

Inflection

Declension of *frawjô (masculine an-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*frawjô	*frawjaniz
vocative	*frawjô	*frawjaniz
accusative	*frawjanų	*frawjanunz
genitive	*frawjiniz	*frawjanǫ̂
dative	*frawjini	*frawjammaz
instrumental	*frawjinē	*frawjammiz

Synonyms

Related terms

*frawjǭ f (“lady”)

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *frauwjō, *frawō
- Old English: frīġea, (from *frawō) frēa^[3]^[4]
- Old Frisian: (from *frawō) *frā (in placenames)
- Old Saxon: frōio, (from *frawō) frao, frōho, frāho, frō
- Old Dutch: (from *frawō) *frō
- Old High German: frouwo, frōjo, (from *frawō) frō
Old Norse: Freyr (from variant *frawjaz)
- Icelandic: Freyr
  - → Swedish: Frej (learned)
  - → Danish: Frej (learned)
- Faroese: Froyur
- Norwegian: Frøy
- Old Swedish: *Frø̄
  - Swedish: Frö
- Old Danish: Frø̄
  - Old Danish: Frø
Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰 (frauja)
- → Galician: Forxás, Froxán (or either from Suevic)
Vandalic: *frauja- (early), froia, froja m

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*frauja(n)-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 153
^ Vladimir Orel (2003), “*fraw(j)ōn sb.m.”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 112
^ Campbell, A[listair] (1959), Old English Grammar‎^[3], London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, § 619, page 250: “frīġea lord < *fraui̯ô (Goth frauja)”.
^ Campbell, A[listair] (1959), Old English Grammar‎^[4], London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, § 120, page 46: “frēa lord, from inflected forms with *frau̯un-”.

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*frauja(n)-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 153

[HGE-2] Vladimir Orel (2003), “*fraw(j)ōn sb.m.”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 112

[3] Campbell, A[listair] (1959), Old English Grammar‎^[3], London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, § 619, page 250: “frīġea lord < *fraui̯ô (Goth frauja)”.

[4] Campbell, A[listair] (1959), Old English Grammar‎^[4], London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, § 120, page 46: “frēa lord, from inflected forms with *frau̯un-”.

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