Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/knīb

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *knībaz.

Noun

knīb m

knife
Synonyms: *dalk, *matisahs, *sahs

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*knīb(a)
Genitive	*knības
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*knīb(a)	*knībōs
Accusative	*knīb(a)	*knībā
Genitive	*knības	*knībō
Dative	*knībē	*knībum
Instrumental	*knību	*knībum

Descendants

Old English: cnīf (possible reborrowing from Old Norse knífr or Middle Dutch cnīf, cnijf)
- Middle English: knyf, knif
  - Scots: knyfe, knife
  - English: knife
    - Sranan Tongo: nefi
  - Yola: kunnife
  - → French: canif
Old Frisian: *knīf
- North Frisian:
  Föhr-Amrum, Mooring: knif
  
  Sylt: Knif
- West Frisian: kniif, knyf, knyft
Old Saxon: *knīf
- Middle Low German: knîf
  - German Low German: Knief
  - Low German: knief, kniiv, knif
  - Plautdietsch: Kjnief
Old Dutch: *cnīf
- Middle Dutch: cnijf
  - Dutch: knijf (dialectal)
Old High German: *knīb (?)
- Middle High German: knîp; knîf (latter West Central German)
  - German: Kneip (dialectal); Knifte
  - Luxembourgish: Knäip
→ Vulgar Latin: *cnīfus (see there for further descendants)