Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰǵʰyés

This Proto-Indo-European 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-Indo-European

Etymology

Possibly from *dʰeǵʰ- (“day”), whence perhaps Proto-Germanic *dagaz. The suffix is uncertain but perhaps a form of (what would become) the comparative *-is-, as if literally “day-er”, effectively contrasting it with the current day. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) However, as de Vaan notes, it is unclear whether *-y- is originally part of the cluster, being found only in Indo-Iranian. If not, it may be analogical in that branch, and the original *dʰǵʰés would simply be the genitive singular to a root noun *dʰéǵʰs.

Alternatively, some suggest that the cluster *dʰǵʰ- may have come from earlier *ǵʰd- (compare *dʰéǵʰōm for a theoretically similar case) such that the original PIE form might have contained *dey- (“day”) and the demonstrative pronoun stem *ǵʰe- (or even earlier *gʰe-), thus *ǵʰe-dyés (“on that day”, gen.sg.). In that case, it would be a fitting counterpart to pre-Indo-Iranian *h₁e-dyé(s) and *sm̥-dyés, whence Sanskrit अद्य (adyá, “today”) and सद्यः (sadyáḥ, “immediately”, literally “on the same day”) respectively. However, the existence and function of *ǵʰ- along with the phonetic development of the cluster remain unclear.

Adverb

*dʰǵʰyés

1. yesterday

Alternative reconstructions

• *dʰǵʰés
• *ǵʰdyés

Derived terms

• *dʰǵʰyés-tero-s
• *dʰǵʰyés-i (loc.sg.)
  • Proto-Celtic: *gdesi (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Italic: *hezi
    • Latin: here, herī̆

Descendants

• Proto-Albanian: *de (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Hellenic: *kʰtʰés
  • Ancient Greek: χθές (khthés), ἐχθές (ekhthés) (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ȷ́ʰyás (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Germanic: *gēz (see there for further descendants)