Etymology

The nearest analogue is the ON v. represented by OIcel kimbla ‘to truss up’ (formed on kimbill ‘a little trunk, a bundle’), which is often taken as cognate with ME chymbled and occasionally as the direct source (thus Stratmann-Bradley, Sundén 1925: 75–8). If the ME word is a direct loan < ON kimbla, it must have undergone sound substitution of /tS/ for initial /k/. WGmc forms like OHG kembil ‘fetter, shackle' attest a PGmc Ablaut variant *kamb-, but (contra Sundén) also forms from the PGmc root *kemb- as in the Scandinavian words (e.g. OE cimbing ‘conjunction, joint’, ME chīmb ‘rim’ (cp. MLG kimm(e), MDu kimme, Ger Kimme)). A native derivation is therefore more likely: a verbal -l- derivation on OE cimb- would account perfectly for ME chimblen.

PGmc Ancestor

*kemb-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

kimbla ‘to truss up’
(ONP kimbla (vb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel kimbla; cp. Far kimbil, kimbul, Icel kimbill, Norw kimbel, kimmel

OE Cognate

cp. OE cimbing ‘conjunction, joint’

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CCC1c

Attestation

Hapax legomenon

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 958

Bibliography

MED chimbled (ppl.) , OED chymble (v.) , Dance chymbled, de Vries kimbla, Mag. kimbill, Orel *kemƀilaz, AEW cimb-, DOE cimbing