Most strong nouns add the stem vowel to the end of the first element, but weak nouns usually add -in-. There are a few examples where a masculine or neuter first element will add -a- or a feminine element will add just -i-, but there are usually some awkward historical reasons for this. In the case of this particular compound, though, the N in -in- shifts to M before the following B. (And, of course, the same thing happens when the second element of a compound begins with M or P.)
Speaking of compounds, another fun example appears in the related terms: The word for ‘alcohol’ is miðurāma, comprised of miðo ‘mead’ and āma ‘spirit’ – i.e. “Spirit of Mead,” but where does that R come from, you ask? When two compounds come together with two irreconcilable vowels, R is added for liaison, like in skātarǣftrins ‘invoice’ (skāta ‘coin’ + ǣftrins ‘request’). There are some other phonological factors at work that I’ll spare you for the moment, like not allowing two stressed syllables to occur in a row in compounds, but let’s save that for another day.
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