VERNER'S LAW

add. ·- a statement, propounded by the danish philologist karl verner in 1875, which explains certain apparent exceptions to grimm's law by the original position of the accent. primitive indo-european k, t, p, became first in teutonic h, th, f, and appear without further change in old teutonic, if the accent rested on the preceding syllable; but these sounds became voiced and produced g, d, b, if the accent was originally on a different syllable. similarly s either remained unchanged, or it became z and later r. example: skt. sapta (accent on ultima), ·gr. 'e`pta, gothic sibun (seven). examples in english are dead by the side of death, to rise and to rear.