imb

See also: imb' and imb-

Maltese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Univerbation of ma’ + b’, fossilised in fixed impressions.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /(ɪ)mp/

Preposition

imb

  1. Alternative form of b’ used in a few expressions.
    wiċċ imb wiċċface to face
    ras imb rashead to head
    mparof the same age
    mbilliinasmuch as

Old Irish

Alternative forms

  • imm (both etymologies)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /imʲbʲ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *amban (compare Welsh ymenyn), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷen- (compare Latin unguen (grease), Old High German ancho (butter)), from *h₃engʷ- (anoint).[1]

Noun

imb n or m (genitive imme, no plural)

  1. butter
Inflection
Neuter n-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative imbN
Vocative imbN
Accusative imbN
Genitive imme
Dative immimL
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization
Descendants
  • Irish: im
  • Manx: eeym
  • Scottish Gaelic: ìm

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *ambi (compare Welsh am), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (round about, around). Cognate with Latin ambi-, Sanskrit अभि (abhí, towards, over, upon), Old Persian 𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎹 (a-b-i-y /⁠abiy⁠/, towards, against, upon), Old High German umbi, Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, about, around) and the first part of Old Armenian ամբ-ողջ (amb-ołǰ, whole).

Preposition

imb

  1. around
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 27b16
      Gaibid immib a n‑étach macc coím-sa, amal nondad maicc coím-a, .i. uiscera is hé in dechellt as·beir.
      Put on (literally, put around you) this raiment of servants, as you all are servants, i.e. viscera is the garment that he mentions.
Inflection

Forms with a definite article:

  • immin, immun (around the (masculine/feminine accusative singular))

Forms with a possessive determiner:

  • imdu (around your sg)
  • imma, imme (around his/her/its/their)

Forms with a relative pronoun:

Descendants
  • Irish: um
  • Scottish Gaelic: mu
  • Manx: mysh

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
RadicalLenitionNasalization
imb unchanged n-imb
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  1. Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*amben-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 69

Further reading

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