Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/berô

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed words 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

Conventionally from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“grey, brown”). Ringe, discrediting the existence of such a root, suggests instead *ǵʰwer- (“wild animal”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbe.rɔːː/

Noun

*berô m

bear

Inflection

Originally an n-stem with the zero grade forms of the suffix, as in *arô and Latin carō.

consonant stemDeclension of *berô (consonant stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*berô	*birniz
vocative	*berô	*birniz
accusative	*bernų	*bernunz
genitive	*birniz	*bernǫ̂
dative	*birni	*bernumaz
instrumental	*bernē	*bernumiz

Descendants

Old English: bera, beorn (possibly)
- Middle English: bere
  - English: bear
    - → Irish: béar (borrowing)
Old Frisian: *bera, *bara
- Saterland Frisian: Boar
- West Frisian: bear
Old Saxon: bero
- Middle Low German: bar, bāre
  - Low German: Baar, Boor
  - Plautdietsch: Boa
Old Dutch: *bero
- Middle Dutch: bēre
  - Dutch: beer
    - Afrikaans: beer
- Limburgish: baer
Old High German: bero
- Middle High German: bër
  - Alemannic German: Bärr
  - Central Franconian:
    Hunsrik: Bäer
  - German: Bär
  - Luxembourgish: Bier
  - Vilamovian: baor
  - Yiddish: בער‎‎ (ber‎)
Old Norse: bersi, bera, birna; bjǫrn (from oblique stem forms in *bernu-)
- Icelandic: bessi, björn
- Faroese: bjørn
- Norwegian: bjørn, bjønn
- Old Swedish: biørn, biorn
  - Swedish: bjässe, björn
- Old Danish: biørn, biorn
  - Danish: bjørn
- Old Gutnish: biorn
  - Gutnish: bjånn
- Westrobothnian: bjern, binn
- Elfdalian: byönn
- Jamtish: bjenn

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