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Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/sēpwos

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This Proto-Italic 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-Italic

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Etymology

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From the same root as Latin sapiō (to know). The root is *sep- (to taste, notice), but De Vaan, Untermann, etc. reconstruct a laryngeal in that root.

Adjective

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*sēpwos

  1. known

Declension

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Reconstruction notes

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  • This word is usually reconstructed as an archaic athematic *-wōs active participle *sēpwōs.[1][2] However, there is no trace of the second -s- in Volscian sepu, which can only come from thematic *sēpwos. The Oscan can come from either formation. How the Volscian form arose is controversial:
    • Wallace, followed by Prósper, dismiss the idea of a *-wōs participle base altogether;[3]
    • Untermann assumes a reformation to *sēpwos from *sēpwōs.[1]

Descendants

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  • Oscan: sipus (nom. sg. m.)
  • Volscian: sepu (abl. sg.)

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Untermann, Jürgen (2000) “O. vl. sipus”, in Wörterbuch des Oskisch-Umbrischen [Dictionary of Oscan-Umbrian] (Handbuch der italischen Dialekte; 3), Heidelberg: Winter, →ISBN, page 677
  2. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “sapiō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 538
  3. ^ Prósper, Blanca María (2022) “The Tabula Veliterna: A Sacred Law from Central Italy”, in Rivista Italiana di Linguistica e di Dialettologia, volume 24, pages 36-37.