Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pes-

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

Root

*pes-^[1]^[2]^[3]

penis

Reconstruction notes

An alternative explanation regards the sense “man, male” as original, as in Hittite. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Latin pēnis presents problems due to the attested chronology of the word's semantics, where “tail” is older than “penis”, which also aligns with the expected semantic development of such a word (compare e.g. Old Armenian ձետ (jet, “tail”) > Middle Armenian ձետ (jet, “penis”)); the reverse development is less likely.^[2]

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pes- (2 c, 0 e)

*pés-os ~ *pés-es-os
- Proto-Hellenic: *péhos
  - Ancient Greek: πέος (péos)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *pásas
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *pásas
    - Sanskrit: पसस् (pásas)
*pés-ō ~ *ps-n-és^[3]
- Proto-Anatolian:
  - Hittite: 𒇽𒀸 (LÚ-aš, “man, husband”, nom.sg) ~ 𒁉𒌍𒈾𒀸 (pé-eš-na-aš /⁠pešnaš⁠/, gen.sg.)
- Proto-Italic: *peznis (< *pésn-i-s ~ *psn̥-yé-s)
  - Latin: pēnis (see there for further descendants)
*pós-l̥ ~ *pés-n̥s
- Proto-Germanic: *faslaz (“brood, offspring, progeny”)
  - Proto-Germanic: *fasl
    - Old English: fæsl (“offspring, progeny”)
    - Old High German: fasal (“offspring”)
      - Middle High German: vasel (“breeding animal”)
        German: Fasel
  - Old Norse: fösull

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πέος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume II, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1173
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “pēnis”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 458
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “*pešan- / pešn- / pišen-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 670

[1] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “πέος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume II, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1173

[EDL-2] 2.0 ^2.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “pēnis”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 458

[EDHIL-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “*pešan- / pešn- / pišen-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 670

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