Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/slimnos

This Proto-Celtic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Celtic

Alternative reconstructions

*slimonos^[1]

Etymology

Matasović compares with Latin līmō (“to polish”) and Old High German slīmen (“to polish”). Others have compared to Proto-Germanic *slīmą (“slime”), Latvian slienas (“saliva”), and Proto-Slavic *slina (“saliva”). For these a root *sleyH- or *sleh₁y- can be reconstructed.

Adjective

*slimnos^[2]^[3]

Inflection

O/ā-stem
masculine	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slimnos	*slimnou	*slimnoi
vocative	*slimne	*slimnou	*slimnoi
accusative	*slimnom	*slimnou	*slimnoms
genitive	*slimnī	*slimnous	*slimnom
dative	*slimnūi	*slimnobom	*slimnobos
instrumental	*slimnū	*slimnobim	*slimnobis
feminine	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slimnā	*slimnai	*slimnās
vocative	*slimnā	*slimnai	*slimnās
accusative	*slimnam	*slimnai	*slimnams
genitive	*slimnās	*slimnous	*slimnom
dative	*slimnai	*slimnābom	*slimnābos
instrumental	*?	*slimnābim	*slimnābis
neuter	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slimnom	*slimnou	*slimnā
vocative	*slimnom	*slimnou	*slimnā
accusative	*slimnom	*slimnou	*slimnā
genitive	*slimnī	*slimnous	*slimnom
dative	*slimnūi	*slimnobom	*slimnobos
instrumental	*slimnū	*slimnobim	*slimnobis

Declension of the comparative
masculine	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slimnyūs	*?	*slimnyoses
vocative	*slimnyūs	*?	*slimnyoses
accusative	*slimnyosam	*?	*slimnyosams
genitive	*slimnisos	*?	*slimnisom
dative	*slimnisei	*?	*slimnisbos
instrumental	*slimnisī	*?	*slimnisbis
feminine	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slimnyūs	*?	*slimnyoses
vocative	*slimnyūs	*?	*slimnyoses
accusative	*slimnyosam	*?	*slimnyosams
genitive	*slimnisos	*?	*slimnisom
dative	*slimnisei	*?	*slimnisbos
instrumental	*slimnisī	*?	*slimnisbis
neuter	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*slimnis	*?	*?
vocative	*slimnis	*?	*?
accusative	*slimnis	*?	*?
genitive	*slimnisos	*?	*slimnisom
dative	*slimnisei	*?	*slimnisbos
instrumental	*slimnisī	*?	*slimnisbis

Reconstruction notes

Matasović reconstructs the adjective as *slimonos, seemingly due to the o in Old Irish slemon. But that vowel could have easily been epenthetic in Old Irish (see also domun < *dubnos), and he fails to explain the lack of an o between the reflexes of the *m and the *n in Brythonic.

Descendants

Proto-Brythonic: *llɨβ̃n
- Old Breton: limn
  - Breton: levn
  - ⇒ Middle Breton: dileffn (“hard”, literally “dis-smooth”)
- ⇒ Old Welsh: limnint (3pl present)
- Middle Welsh: llyfyn
  - Welsh: llyfn
Old Irish: slemon
- Irish: sleamhain
- Scottish Gaelic: sleamhainn
- Manx: shliawin

References

^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*slimono-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 346
^ R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “llyfn”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
^ Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 141-142

[1] Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*slimono-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 346

[2] R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “llyfn”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

[3] Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 141-142

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