§61] Primitive Germanic Vowel-System 23 OHG. wint, wind; Gr. Were, Goth, flmf, O.Icel. fim(m), OHG. fimf, finf, five. This i became ī under the same conditions as those by which a became a (§ 69), as Goth, beihan, OS. thīhan, OE. Sēon, OHG. dīhan, from *þirjxanan, older *þeijxanan, to thrive. The result of this sound-law was the reason why the verb passed from the third into the first class of strong verbs (§ 30O), cp. the isolated pp. OS. gi-þungan, OE. ge-tSungen. 2. When followed by an i, ī, or j in the next syllable, as Goth. OS. OHG. ist. OE. is, from *istl, older "esti = Gr. «m, is; OHG. irdīn, earthen, beside erđa, earth; Goth, miđjis, O.Icel. mi5r, OS. middi, OE. midd, OHG. mitti, Lat. medius, from an original form *medhjos, middle; OS. birid, OHG. birit, he bears, from an original form *bh£reti, through the intermediate stages *t>áređi, *ftáriđi, *fcíriđi, beside inf. beran; O.Icel. sitja, OS. sittian, OHG. slzzen, OE. sittan, from an original form *seđjonom, to sit. 3. In unaccented syllables, except in the combination *er when not followed by an i in the next syllable, as OE. fēt, older feet, from *fōtiz, older *fōtes, feet, cp. Lat. pedes, Gr. ir68es. Indg. e remained in unaccented syllables in the combination -er when not followed by an 1 in the next syllable, as ace. OS. fader, OHG. fater, OE. fæder, Gr. πατέρα, father; OE. hwæþer, Gr. πότερο^, which oflwo. § 61. i, followed originally by an a, o, or ē in the next syllable, became e when not protected by a nasal + consonant or an intervening i or j, as O.Icel. verr, OS. OHG. OE. wer, Lat. vir, from an original form *wiros, man; OHG. OE. nest, Lat. nidus, from an original form *nlzdos. In historic times, however, this law has a great number of exceptions owing to the separate languages having levelled out in various directions, as OE. spec beside spic, bacon; OHG. lebara beside OE. lifer, liver; OHG. leocōn beside OE. liccian, to lick; OHG. lebēn