Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/ulkos
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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
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- *lukos (with metathesis of resonants)
Etymology
[edit]According to McCone, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”).[1]
- The odd resyllabification to *ulk(ʷ)os is paralleled by Old Irish olann (< *wlanā).
- The loss of labialization in the velar stop (guaranteed by Lepontic, which is P-Celtic, in addition to this term never being spelled with q in Ogham) may be a dissimilation against the initial *w ~ u.
- The meaning "bad" in Irish could have been derived from pejorative comparison to wolves, or through a taboo association.
Stifter and Höfler adopt a different semantic derivation to McCone, given how Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos (“wolf”) may be originally a deadjectivally accent-retracted substantivization of *wl̥kʷós (“harmful”); the adjective "bad" would simply instead be a survival of this base adjective into Irish.
MacBain's derivation of the Goidelic words for "bad" from Proto-Indo-European *h₁elḱ- (compare Proto-Indo-European *h₁élḱos (“sore, ulcer”), whence also Proto-Germanic *ilhilaz (“bad, evil”), Latin ulcus (“wound, sore”), Ancient Greek ἕλκος (hélkos, “wound, ulcer”), Sanskrit अर्श (arśa, “hemorrhoids”)) does not work because it cannot account for the -u- in Celtic.
Noun
[edit]*ulkos m
Declension
[edit]| Masculine o-stem | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | dual | plural | |
| nominative | *ulkos | *ulkou | *ulkoi |
| vocative | *ulke | *ulkou | *ulkoi |
| accusative | *ulkom | *ulkou | *ulkons |
| genitive | *ulkī | *ulkous | *ulkom |
| dative | *ulkūi | *ulkobom | *ulkobos |
| locative | *ulkei | *? | *? |
| instrumental | *ulkū | *ulkobim | *ulkūis |
Descendants
[edit]- Goidelic:
- Lepontic: 𐌖𐌋𐌊𐌏𐌔 (ulkos)