Cognate Set 256 – Meaning: liver

IE-CoR reference form:
*lib(a)rō-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Germanic
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Proposed as cognate to:
*(H)i̯ekʷ-r/n- [Proto-Indo-European] scale: 0
Justification:
Etymology outside of Germanic uncertain. Perhaps to the PIE word for 'liver' *(H)i̯ekʷ-r/n-, if certain irregular sound changes took place (cf. Kluge 2011:565, Kroonen 2013:336). An alternative possibility is an original meaning 'fat', if compared to the root of Gk. λιπαρός 'oily, fatty, greasy' if in Germanic an adjective was substantivised as similarly in Romance from Lat. (iēcur) fīcātum (cf. Kluge 2011:565; EWA 5:1082-1084).
Found in clades:
Germanic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 20 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
110   Danish lever ˈlewˀʌ
116   Dutch lever ˈlevər
112   English liver ˈlɪvə
104   Faroese livur ˈliːvʊɹ
117   Flemish lever
122   German Leber ˈleːbɐ ˈleːbəʁ
103   Icelandic lifur ˈlɪːvʏr Changed from LIFR.
105   Norwegian: Bokmål lever ˈlɛʋːəɾ ˈlɛʋːɛr
109   Swedish lever ˈleːvər
121   Luxembourgish Liewer ˈliəvɐ ˈliəvɐ
107   Elfdalian lyr lyːr lyːr
108   Old Swedish liver ˈliver liver
123   German: Bernese Läbere læb̥ərə læb̥ərə
119   Old High German lebara ˈlebara ˈlebara
113   Old Frisian livere ˈlivere ˈlifere
120   Middle High German lebere ˈlebərə ˈlebərə
111   Old English lifer ˈliver ˈlifer
115   Middle Dutch levere ˈleːvər ˈleːvər
102   Old Icelandic lifr livr lifr
106   Norwegian: Nynorsk lever ˈlɛːʋəχ ˈlɛːʋɛʁ
References
  • Kluge, Friedrich: 565
    S.v. NHG Leber (MHG leber(e), OHG lebara, lebera, MLG, MNL lever(e), from Germanic *librō(n), also in ON lifr, OE lifer, OFr. livere. The word perhaps originally meant 'the fat', maybe actually 'the fattened liver', cf. It. fegato 'liver' < Lat. iecur fīcātum 'fattened liver', and in this case one might compare Gk. λιπαρός 'fat' to λίπος 'fat, oil, unguent'. Alternatively it is not to be fully ruled out that the word continues the Indo-European word for 'liver' *i̯ekʷr (cf. Lat. iecur, etc) with some irregular phonological alteration (cf. e.g. the initial l- in Armenian, if the Armenian word also belongs to this word family).
  • Kroonen, Guus: 336
    S.v. Proto-Germanic *librō- 'liver'. Etymology unclear; it may possibly be an irregular continuation of PIE *iekʷ-r/n-, if the Germanic form represents an intermediate form *lipr-eh₂- with unetymological initial *l- and sporadic change of *kʷ > *p in the vicinity of resonants (cf. *fimfe 'five' < *pénkʷe).
  • Lühr, Rosemarie and Bichlmeier, Harald and Kozianka, Maria and Schuhmann, Roland: 1082-1084
    S.v. OHG lebara 'Leber; iecur', from Proto-Germanic *liƀ(a)rō⁽ⁿ⁾, a substantive in *-ō(n)- *'die Fett(ig)e' from an adjective *liƀ(a)ra- 'fett(ig)' no longer attested in the Germanic languages < PIE *lip-ró- 'fettig, schmierig', in turn a zero-grade *-ro- formation to the verbal root *lei̯p- 'kleben bleiben; klebrig, schmierig sein' which is also continued in OHG bilîban and leiben'.