Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pstḗn

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

Unknown; possibly related with Ancient Greek στῆθος (stêthos, “breast”).

Noun

*pstḗn m^[1]

breast, teat

Inflection

Athematic, hysterokinetic
	singular
nominative	*pstḗn
genitive	*pstnés
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*pstḗn	*psténh₁(e)	*psténes
vocative	*pstén	*psténh₁(e)	*psténes
accusative	*psténm̥	*psténh₁(e)	*psténm̥s
genitive	*pstnés	*?	*pstnóHom
ablative	*pstnés	*?	pstn̥mós, pstn̥bʰós
dative	*pstnéy	*?	pstn̥mós, pstn̥bʰós
locative	pstén, psténi	*?	*pstn̥sú
instrumental	*pstnéh₁	*?	pstn̥mís, pstn̥bʰís

Derived terms

*pstén-o-s^[2]^[3]
- Proto-Germanic: *spenô (“nipple”)^[4] (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *pstánas (see there for further descendants)
*pston-ó-s^[5]
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *pstānás
  - Proto-Iranian: *pstānáh
    - Avestan: 𐬟𐬱𐬙𐬁𐬥𐬀 (fštāna, “woman's breast”)
    - Middle Persian: pystʾn' (pestān, “breast”)
      - Persian: پستان (pestân, “breast”)
    - Sogdian: [script needed] (ʾštnh /⁠əštana⁠/, “breast”)
*sptén-yo-s^[4] (< metathesis *pstén-yo-s)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *spenis
  - Latvian: spenis (“nipple, teat, uvula”)
  - Lithuanian: spenỹs (“uvula”)
  - Old Prussian: spenis (“nipple, teat”)
- Proto-Celtic: *sɸenyos (see there for further descendants)

Descendants

Proto-Armenian: *stēn^[6]^[7]
- Old Armenian: ստին (stin, “breast”)
Proto-Hellenic: *stḗn^[7]
- ⇒ Ancient Greek: στήνιον (stḗnion, “breast”)
- ⇒ Proto-Hellenic: *pərsténos (“having protruding breasts”)^[8]
  - Ancient Greek: παρθένος (parthénos), (Laconian) παρσένος (parsénos, “virgin, girl, young woman”)
Proto-Tocharian: *päścäne (< CCC epenthesis, *psténh₁(e) (dual))
- Tocharian A: päśśäṃ
- Tocharian B: päścane du (“woman’s breasts”)

References

^ Kölligan, Daniel (2017–2018) “Chapter XX: Proto-Indo-European”, in Klein, Jared S., Joseph, Brian D., Fritz, Matthias, editors, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The lexicon of Proto-Indo-European, page 2245: “*psten-”
^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*psténos”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 81
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “speno-, stḗno-, p(ə)stḗno-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 990
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*spenan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 466
^ Gotō, Toshifumi (2005) “AI. ádbhuta, ádabdha, JAV. abda-, dapta- und AI. addhā́, AAV. AP. azdā”, in Indogermanica – Festschrift Gert Klingenschmitt: Indische, iranische und indogermanische Studien‎^[2]: “*psteno- oder *pstono-”
^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) “stin”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, pages 584–585
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “στήνιον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1404
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “παρθένος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1153

[1] Kölligan, Daniel (2017–2018) “Chapter XX: Proto-Indo-European”, in Klein, Jared S., Joseph, Brian D., Fritz, Matthias, editors, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The lexicon of Proto-Indo-European, page 2245: “*psten-”

[2] Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*psténos”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 81

[3] Pokorny, Julius (1959) “speno-, stḗno-, p(ə)stḗno-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 990

[Kroonen-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*spenan-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 466

[5] Gotō, Toshifumi (2005) “AI. ádbhuta, ádabdha, JAV. abda-, dapta- und AI. addhā́, AAV. AP. azdā”, in Indogermanica – Festschrift Gert Klingenschmitt: Indische, iranische und indogermanische Studien‎^[2]: “*psteno- oder *pstono-”

[6] Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) “stin”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, pages 584–585

[Beekes-7] 7.0 ^7.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “στήνιον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1404

[8] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “παρθένος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 1153

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