Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gerstō

This Proto-Germanic 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-Germanic

Etymology

From virtual Proto-Indo-European *gʰersd-eh₂, from *ǵʰersd-. Cognate with Latin hordeum (“barley”), Ancient Greek κριθή (krithḗ, “barley”), Armenian գարի (gari, “wheat”), Albanian drithë (“cereal, grain”).^[1]^[2] However, given the irregular sound correspondences (especially the Greek, which requires a root of the shape *ǵʰreydʰ-), probably of non-Indo-European substrate^[1] or Wanderwort^[3]^[4] origin. If indeed Indo-European in origin, the root would seem to be *ǵʰers- (“to be stiff”) (compare Sanskrit हर्षति (hárṣati, “to bristle”)) with some extension *-D-. For the semantics, compare the synonym *baraz (“barley”; originally “spiky leaves”, “awn”), apparently from *bʰers- (“sharp point, tip, top”). Contrast *hirsijô (“millet”) (Old Norse hirsi, Old High German hirso).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɣer.stɔː/

Noun

*gerstō f

barley
Synonyms: *baraz, *barizaz

Inflection

ō-stemDeclension of *gerstō (ō-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*gerstō	*gerstôz
vocative	*gerstō	*gerstôz
accusative	*gerstǭ	*gerstōz
genitive	*gerstōz	*gerstǫ̂
dative	*gerstōi	*gerstōmaz
instrumental	*gerstō	*gerstōmiz

Related terms

*gurstaz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *gerstu
- Old English: gorst, gors (< *gurst m)
  - Middle English: gorst, gors, gorste, gost, grost
    - English: gorse
    - Yola: goss, gorr
- Old Frisian: *jerste
  - Saterland Frisian: Jäärste, Jüste
- Old Saxon: gersta
  - Middle Low German: gerste
    - German Low German: Garste, Garst
    - Plautdietsch: Joascht
- Old Dutch: *gersta
  - Middle Dutch: gerste
    - Dutch: gerst
      - Afrikaans: gars
        → Xhosa: írhási
      - → Papiamentu: gerst (dated)
- Old High German: gersta
  - Middle High German: gerste
    - Alemannic German: Geerste
    - Bavarian: Geaschtn
      - Cimbrian: ghéersta
      - Mòcheno: gerst
    - Central Franconian: Jääsch, Gääscht
      - Luxembourgish: Geescht
    - German: Gerste
    - Yiddish: גערשט (gersht)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*gerstō-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 306
^ Friedrich Kluge (1989) “Gerste”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 260: “*gerstō”
^ Demiraj, B. (1997) “drithë”, in Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz [Albanian Etymologies: […]] (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 7)‎^[2] (in German), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, page 145
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κριθή”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 779

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*gerstō-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 306

[2] Friedrich Kluge (1989) “Gerste”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 260: “*gerstō”

[3] Demiraj, B. (1997) “drithë”, in Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz [Albanian Etymologies: […]] (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 7)‎^[2] (in German), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, page 145

[4] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “κριθή”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 779

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