Verner's law

noun

Ver·ner's law ˈver-nərz-

: a statement in historical linguistics: in medial or final position in voiced environments and when the immediately preceding vowel did not bear the principal accent in Proto-Indo-European, the Proto-Germanic voiceless fricatives f, þ, and χ derived from the Proto-Indo-European voiceless stops p, t, and k and the Proto-Germanic voiceless fricative s derived from Proto-Indo-European s became the voiced fricatives ƀ, ð, ǥ, and z represented in various recorded Germanic languages by b, d, g, and r

Word History

Etymology

after Karl A. verner, who formulated it

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Verner's law was in 1878

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Verner's law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Verner%27s%20law. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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