Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kalbaz

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑl.βɑz/

Etymology 1

Unknown. The connection with Proto-Indo-European *gʷelbʰ- (“womb”) is problematic due to the missing labiovelar in Germanic. However, *gʷl̥bʰus- or the weak stem of *gʷélbʰ-us ~ *gʷl̥bʰ-éws would yield *kulbuz-, from which the variant *kelbuz-, also attested in Germanic, could have been derived analogically as a strong stem, whose influence might explain the missing labialization in *kalbiz-.

Pokorny connects it to Latin galba (“little worm, larva; small person or animal”), itself perhaps of Gaulish origin, and proposes Proto-Indo-European *gel(e)b⁽ʰ⁾- as a labial extension of *gel- (“form into a ball; ball”); compare Old English clyppan (“to hug, embrace; to clasp”) (modern English clasp), German Klafter (“armful, fathom”), Latvian glābt (“to save”), and Latin glaeba (“clod”), globus (“round object”). However, such irregular correspondences between *kalbaz and galba would more likely point to substrate origin.

Has been compared to Mingrelian ქაბლა (kabla), itself of uncertain origin.

Noun

*kalbaz n

1. calf (young cow)

Inflection

z-stemDeclension of *kalbaz (z-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*kalbaz	*kalbizō
vocative	*kalbaz	*kalbizō
accusative	*kalbaz	*kalbizō
genitive	*kalbiziz	*kalbizǫ̂
dative	*kalbizi	*kalbizumaz
instrumental	*kalbizē	*kalbizumiz

Derived terms

• *kalbǭ (“heifer”)
  • Old High German: chalbā
    • Middle High German: kalbe
      • German: Kalbe
      • ⇒ Alemannic German: Kalbala, Kalbla
      • ⇒ Cimbrian: khalbala
      • ⇒ German: Kalbele
  • Gothic: 𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍉 (kalbō)

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *kalb
  • Old English: ċealf, cælf
    • Middle English: calf, chelve, chalf, kelf
      • Scots: calf, cawf, caff, cauf
      • English: calf
      • Yola: callef
  • Old Frisian: *kalf, *kālch, *kāl
    • North Frisian: kuulew, kualew
    • Saterland Frisian: Koolich
    • West Frisian: keal
  • Old Saxon: kalf
    • Middle Low German: kalf
      • Low German: Kalv, Kalf
      • Plautdietsch: Kaulf
  • Old Dutch: calf
    • Middle Dutch: calf
      • Dutch: kalf
      • Limburgish: kalf
  • Old High German: kalb, chalb, chalp
    • Middle High German: kalp
      • Alemannic German: Chalp
      • Central Franconian: Kallev
      • Cimbrian: khalp, khalbe (Luserna)
      • German: Kalb
      • Luxembourgish: Kallef
      • Vilamovian: kołp
      • Yiddish: קאַלב (kalb)
• Old Norse: kalfr m
  • Icelandic: kálfur
  • Faroese: kálvur
  • Norn: kvålv
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kalv; (dialectal) kæłv, kålv’e, kåv’e
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kalv
  • Elfdalian: kåv
  • Old Swedish: kalver
    • Swedish: kalv
  • Danish: kalv
  • Gutnish: kalv
• → Proto-Samic: *kālpē (see there for further descendants)

Etymology 2

Of uncertain origin; perhaps related to *kulbaz (“round object, lump; club, staff”).

Noun

*kalbaz m

1. calf (of the leg)
2. soft tissue (of wood, muscle, etc.)

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Proto-West-Germanic:
  • Dutch: kalf (“soft part of wood”)
  • German: Kalb (“muscle”) (dialectal)
• Old Norse: kalfi (“calf of the leg”)
  • Icelandic: kálfi
  • Faroese: kálvi
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kalve; (dialectal) kæłve, kålve, kåvi
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kalve
  • Old Swedish: kalver
    • Swedish: kalv
  • → Middle English: calf, calfe
    • English: calf
    • Scots: cauf, cauve, cawve