Reconstruction:Proto-Albanian/mala

Proto-Albanian

Etymology

Vladimir Orel proposed Lithuanian malà (“land”) and Latvian mala (“bank, shore”) as cognates. Preserved in patroynms, ethnonym malësor (“highlander, mountaineer”), in toponym (historical and ethnographic region) Malësia (north Albania and Montenegro). In Kosovo (Malishevë, Gjilan, Mališevo, Prizren), in Serbia (Maleševo (Golubac), Maleševo (Rekovac)) and the name of Maleshevo Mountain (North Macedonia and Bulgaria). Gil'Ferding proposed Sanskrit मरु (marú, “wilderness, mountain, rock”) as a cognate. According to Michel Morvan a common pre-indo-european substrate with Basque malda (“slope”) and malkor (“precipice”) (cf. pre-indo-european geonymic root *mal (*mel, *mol); Dravidian மலை (malai, “hill, mountain”) and Malayalam മല (mala, “id”)).

La Piana and Huld suggested Old English molda (“forehead”) and Sanskrit मूर्धन् (mūrdhan, “head, top, summit”), both derived from *ml̥Hdʰṓ. Also connected to Ancient Greek *μλωθρός (*mlōthrós), μέλαθρον (mélathron, “ridgepole”), βλαστάνω (blastánō, “to sprout, grow”). Cf. also Ancient Greek βλωθρός (blōthrós, “lofty”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀-𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬋 (ka-mər^əδō, “demon's head”), with a semantic development from ‘head’ > ‘summit’, compare malë (“tongue tip, tree top”)) > ‘mountain’.

Alternatively, from Dacian or a Paleo-Balkan substrate, cognate to Romanian mal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mala/

Noun

*mala

1. mount
2. mountain
3. forest