Teaser

nephology, Niflheim, Nibelungenlied, nebula

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• Proto-Indo-European *nebʰ- cloudy, misty, damp ^[1]

  • Proto-Indo-European *nébʰos cloud, mist, moisture

    • Anatolian *nébos

      • Hittite 𒉈𒂊𒁉𒅖 nēpis sky, heaven
      • Luwic

        • Cuneiform Luwian 𒋫𒀊𒉺𒀸𒊭 tappassa sky, heaven
        • Lycian 𐊗𐊀𐊂𐊀𐊛𐊀𐊈𐊀 tabahaza
    • Pre-Armenian *m̥bʰos

      • Old Armenian ամպ amp cloud

        • Armenian ամպ amp cloud
    • Balto-Slavic *nébas cloud, sky

      • East Baltic

        • Lithuanian debesìs cloud
      • Slavic *nȅbo sky, heaven

        • East Slavic

          • Russian нёбо njóbo palate (roof of mouth)
          • Ukrainian не́бо nébo sky, heaven
        • South Slavic

          • Old Church Slavonic небо nebo heaven, sky

            • Russian не́бо nébo sky, heaven, air
        • West Slavic

          • Polish niebo sky, heaven
    • Celtic *nembos sky, heaven

      • Brythonic *neβ̃

        • Welsh nef heaven
      • Old Irish nem heaven, sky, radiance

        • Irish neamh heaven, sky
    • Hellenic *népʰos cloud

      • Ancient Greek νέφος néphos cloud

        • Greek νέφος néfos smog, cloud
        • English nepho-

          • English nephology
    • Indo-Iranian *nábʰas cloud, mist

      • Indo-Aryan *nábʰas

        • Sanskrit 𑀦𑀪𑀲𑁆 nábhas mist, fog, cloud, vapor, sky

          • Maharashtri 𑀡𑀳 ṇaha sky
          • Tamil நபம் napam sky
      • Iranian *nábah

        • Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬠𐬀𐬵 nabah air, sky
        • Western Iranian

          • Northwestern Iranian

            • Kurdish nem moisture, humidity
          • Old Persian

            • Persian نم nam moisture, humidity, dew

              • Hindi नम nam moisture, humidity, dew, moist, damp
              • Turkish nem moisture, humidity
    • Proto-Indo-European *nebʰelos diminutive

      • Albanian avull steam

        • Romanian abur steam, vapor, fog
      • Germanic *nebulaz fog, mist, darkness

        • West Germanic

          • Frankish *neval

            • Dutch nevel fog

              • Dutch nevelvlek nebula
          • Old High German nebul

            • German Nebel fog, mist, nebula
            • Yiddish נעפּל nepl mist
        • Germanic *nibilaz misty, dark

          • North Germanic

            • Old Norse *nifl

              • Icelandic nifl fog, darkness
              • Old Norse Niflheimr Niflheim lit. "World of Mist, Dark World"

                • English Niflheim
          • West Germanic

            • Old English nifol dark, gloomy
          • Germanic *nibilungō lit. "Children of Darkness" ^[2]

            • North Germanic

              • Old Norse Niflung
            • West Germanic

              • Old High German Nibelung

                • German Nibelung

                  • German Nibelungenlied Song of the Nibelungs

                    • English Nibelungenlied
                • Italian Napoleone

                  • French Napoléon

                    • English Napoleon

                      • English napoleon

                        • English simoleon
            • Latin Nivilōnēs
        • Insular Celtic

          • Brythonic

            • Welsh niwl mist, fog, haze
          • Old Irish nél cloud

            • Irish néal cloud, depression

              • Irish réaltnéal nebula
            • Old Irish Níall personal name

              • Irish Niall

                • English Neil
              • Old Norse Njáll

                • Icelandic Njáll
              • Old Irish Úa Néill grandson/descendant of Niall

                • Irish Ó Néill

                  • English O'Neill
      • Hellenic *nepʰélā

        • Ancient Greek νεφέλη nephélē cloud
      • Indo-Iranian

        • Nuristani

          • Kamviri niru
      • Italic *neβelā

        • Latin nebula fog, cloud

          • Eastern Romance

            • Romanian negură fog
          • Western Romance *nebla

            • Italian nebbia fog, mist
            • Spanish niebla fog
          • English nebula

            • Thai เนบิวลา nee-biu-lâa nebula
          • Latin nebulōsus foggy, clouded, obscured

            • English nebulous
    • Proto-Indo-European *n̥bʰrós

      • Pre-Armenian *m̥bʰrós

        • Old Armenian ամպրոպ amprop thunder

          • Armenian ամպրոպ amprop thunderstorm
      • Hellenic

        • Ancient Greek ἀφρός aphrós foam ^[3]
      • Indeterminate Indo-European language

        • Hellenic

          • Mycenaean Greek 𐀃𐀖𐀪𐀍 o-mi-ri-jo rain gods
          • Ancient Greek ὄμβρος ómbros thunderstorm, flood ^[3]
      • Indo-Iranian *abʰrás cloud, raincloud

        • Indo-Aryan *abʰrás

          • Dardic

            • Kashmiri obur clouds, cloudy weather
          • Sanskrit 𑀅𑀪𑁆𑀭 abhrá cloud, thunder cloud, sky

            • Pali 𑀅𑀩𑁆𑀪 abbha

              • Thai อาภา āphā light, ray
              • English Appa
            • Sauraseni 𑀅𑀩𑁆𑀪 abbha cloud, rain cloud, rainy weather, sky

              • Madhya

                • Hindi आभ ābh sky
        • Iranian *abráh cloud

          • Avestan 𐬀𐬡𐬭𐬀 aβra cloud
          • Northern Iranian

            • Khotani orä
            • Ossetian арв arv sky
          • Pashto اوره owrë́
          • Western Iranian

            • Northwestern Iranian

              • Balochi اور awr cloud
              • Kurdish ewr cloud
            • Persian ابر abr cloud, sponge
          • Iranian *abrakah diminutive

            • Northern Iranian

              • Ossetian ӕврагъ ævraǧ cloud
            • Western Iranian

              • Persian ابرک abrak little cloud, sponge
      • Italic *emβris

        • Latin imber rain, storm
        • Oscan *anfr- rain

          • Oscan 𐌀𐌍𐌀𐌚𐌓𐌝𐌔𐌔 𐌊𐌄𐌐𐌐𐌉𐌉𐌖𐌉𐌔 Anafriss Kerriiuis They Grow the Rains (Divinities of Rain)
      • Tocharian *epprer

        • Kushean iprer sky, air
      • Indeterminate Indo-European language

        • Samic *ëprē rain

          • Northern Sami arvi rain
    • Proto-Indo-European *n̥bʰtós adjective

      • Indo-Iranian *nabʰtás

        • Iranian

          • Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬞𐬙𐬀 napta wet, damp
          • Northern Iranian

            • Sogdian 𐫗𐫂𐫤𐫏𐫏 nβtyy damp, humid
          • Pashto لوند lund wet
          • Western Iranian

            • Northwestern Iranian

              • Parthian 𐫗𐫜𐫤 nft

Visual

Collected English words

nepho-, nephology, Niflheim, Nibelungenlied, Napoleon, napoleon, simoleon, Neil, O'Neill, nebula, nebulous, Appa

Footnotes

1. ^

   In a number of descendants of *nebʰ-: "cloudy, misty, damp" there is a semantic shift to "sky"; this parallels the shift from Germanic *skiwô: "cloud cover" to English "sky".

2. ^

   Niebelung derived from *nibilaz: "misty, dark"—thus "Children of Darkness"—may be a reinterpretation by folk etymology from an existing name with a different etymology, likely originally *niwjaz: "new" instead.

   The name probably referred originally to a Burgundian dynasty with no particular supernatural or inhuman implication. Only in some later versions of the stories that included the Nibelungen did the term come to mean a race of underground dwarves.

   The Italian name "Napoleone" is modified by folk etymology from an unknown source, possibly the Lombardic versions of Nibelung.

3. ^

   Ancient Greek ὄμβρος ómbros matches the meaning of other descendants of *n̥bʰrós, but the expected form is ἀφρός aphrós which means "sea foam" instead. Possibly ómbros is a borrowing from a different Indo-European branch, perhaps Phrygian which is known to have the *bʰ to *b sound change.