𐌰𐌹𐌱𐍂

Unknown etymology; the word appears to have no Germanic, and indeed no Indo-European cognates. Various etymologies have been proposed, which are reviewed by Snædal (2015) and dismissed. He instead proposes a scribal error as the most likely explanation: the initial 𐌰 would have been 𐌻 (which is very similar in appearance), which would instead yield *𐌻𐌹𐌱𐍂 (*libr), a derivation of 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galēwjan, “offer, give, hand over”). For an overview of alternate explanations refer to the source cited.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛːβr/

𐌰𐌹𐌱𐍂 • (aibr) n

1. gift
   • Gothic Bible, Matthew 5.23-24:

     𐌾𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹 𐌽𐌿 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌹𐍃 𐌰𐌹𐌱𐍂 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽 𐌳𐌿 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌻𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌳𐌰 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍂 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌴𐌹𐍃 𐌸𐌰𐍄𐌴𐌹 𐌱𐍂𐍉𐌸𐌰𐍂 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌸 𐍈𐌰 𐌱𐌹 𐌸𐌿𐌺 𐌰𐍆𐌻𐌴𐍄 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍂 𐌸𐍉 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌹𐌽 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌾𐌰 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐍃𐌻𐌰𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌳𐌹𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌲 ..

     jabai nu bairais aibr þein du hunslastada jah jainar gamuneis þatei brōþar þeins habaiþ ƕa bi þuk aflēt jainar þō giba þeina in andwairþja hunslastadis jah gagg ..

     Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ..

• Snædal, Magnús, "Gothic aibr 'gift, offering'", in: Words and Dictionaries. A Festschrift for Professor Stanisław Stachowski on the Occasion of His 85th Birthday, ed. E. Mańczak-Wohlfeld, B. Podolak, Kraków 2015: 287-296. [academia.edu]