Grimm's law

noun

, Linguistics.

1. the statement of the regular pattern of consonant correspondences presumed to represent changes from Proto-Indo-European to Germanic, according to which voiced aspirated stops became voiced obstruents, voiced unaspirated stops became unvoiced stops, and unvoiced stops became unvoiced fricatives: first formulated in 1820–22 by Jakob Grimm, though the facts had been noted earlier by Rasmus Rask.

Grimm's law

/ ɡrɪmz /

noun

1. the rules accounting for systematic correspondences between consonants in the Germanic languages and consonants in other Indo-European languages; it states that Proto-Indo-European voiced aspirated stops, voiced unaspirated stops, and voiceless stops became voiced unaspirated stops, voiceless stops, and voiceless fricatives respectively

Word History and Origins

Origin of Grimm's law¹

formulated by Jakob Grimm

Example Sentences

This sound change was not random but followed what came to be called Grimm's law, named for the very same brother Grimm who brought us "Hansel and Gretel."

From Salon

Jakob Grimm was one of the foremost philologists, I studied his ‘Grimm’s Law’ in prison—all about consonants.

From Literature

I do not know whether Grimm's law would authorise the antithesis of a d for a p sound, but every student of Romaic will allow the tendency that i and o sounds have for interchanging.

From Project Gutenberg

The most lawless etymologist bows down to the authority of Grimm’s law, even if he honours it almost as much in the breach as in the observance.

From Project Gutenberg

This leads to a question which has been the subject of much controversy,—Who discovered what is known as Grimm’s law?

From Project Gutenberg