Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ṓws

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

From *h₂ew- (“to see”) +‎ *-s (root nominal suffix), with a semantic shift to "to hear" after the split of Anatolian branch.

Reconstruction

The initial laryngeal must be *h₂ to account for Latin forms auris, aus-cultō, which must reflect e-grade *h₂ews-.

Noun

*h₂ṓws (oblique stem *h₂éws-)

1. ear

Inflection

Athematic, acrostatic
	singular	collective
nominative	*h₂ṓws	*h₂éwsōs
genitive	*h₂éwsos	*h₂usés
	singular	dual	plural	collective
nominative	*h₂ṓws	*h₂ṓwsih₁	—	*h₂éwsōs
vocative	*h₂ṓws	*h₂ṓwsih₁	—	*h₂éwsōs
accusative	*h₂ṓws	*h₂ṓwsih₁	—	*h₂éwsōs
genitive	*h₂éwsos	*?	—	*h₂usés
ablative	*h₂éwsos	*?	—	*h₂usés
dative	*h₂éwsey	*?	—	*h₂uséy
locative	*h₂éws, *h₂éwsi	*?	—	*h₂éws, *h₂éwsi
instrumental	*h₂éwsh₁	*?	—	*h₂uséh₁

Notes

• Acrostatic singular, amphikinetic plural
• Nominative: *h₂óws-s > *h₂ṓws
• Genitive: *h₂éws-s > *h₂ḗws, or *h₂usós
• Dual: *h₂(e)usih₁
• Collective plural: *h₂éw(s)ōs, genitive *h₂u(s)-s-és

Derived terms

• *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti

Descendants

• Proto-Albanian: *ōusi
  • Albanian: vesh
• Proto-Armenian:
  • Old Armenian: ունկն (unkn) (singulative), ականջք (akanǰkʻ) (plural) (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Balto-Slavic: *aus-
  • Latvian: auss
  • Lithuanian: ausis
  • Old Prussian: āusins
  • Proto-Slavic: *uxo (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Celtic: *ausos (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Germanic: *ausô (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Hellenic:
  • Ancient Greek: οὖς (oûs)

    Doric Greek: ὦς (ôs)

    • Greek: αυτί (aftí)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *HušíH du
  • Proto-Iranian: *HušíH (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Italic: *auzis
  • Latin: auris, ōris
    • → English: aur-
    • ⇒ Latin: auricula (see there for further descendants)
• Unsorted formations:
  • Sanskrit: उषस् (uṣás, “the outer passage of the ear”)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *Húšma
    • Proto-Nuristani:
      • Northern Nuristani:
        • Prasuni: yǘmu

References

• Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 173