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rückumlaut

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rück·​umlaut | \ ˈrᵫk+ˌ- \

Definition of rückumlaut

: the absence of umlaut of the stem vowel in the past tense and past participle of some Germanic weak verbs as a result of the loss of i in the following syllable before the umlaut period

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History and Etymology for rückumlaut

German literally, back umlaut, from rück- (from zurück back, backward, from Middle High German ze rücke, from ze to—from Old High German zi—+ rücke back, from Old High German hrukki) + umlaut

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Cite this Entry

“Rückumlaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/r%C3%BCckumlaut. Accessed 22 Jan. 2021.

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