Grimm's law

noun

: a statement in historical linguistics: Proto-Indo-European voiceless stops became Proto-Germanic voiceless fricatives (as in Greek pyr, treis, kardia compared with English fire, three, heart), Proto-Indo-European voiced stops became Proto-Germanic voiceless stops (as in Latin duo, genus compared with English two, kin), and Proto-Indo-European voiced aspirated stops became Proto-Germanic voiced fricatives (as in Sanskrit nābhi, madhya "mid" compared with English navel, Old Norse mithr "mid")

Word History

Etymology

Jacob Grimm

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Grimm's law was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near Grimm's law

Cite this Entry

“Grimm's law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Grimm%27s%20law. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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