User:Pulimaiyi/Indo-Iranian Vocabulary Innovations
Content
[edit]What's this list?
[edit]A handful of Indo-Iranian words have been reconstructed which have Iranian & Indic descendants but for which an Indo-European origin (or any origin) has not been traceable. These words remain exclusive to the Indo-Iranian branch.
Origins of these words
[edit]The non-IE substrate origin of some Indo-Iranian words in this list has been well discussed. These words are clearly cultural borrowings into Proto-Indo-Iranian from an unidentified donor language or languages. They are characterized by a lemma structure which is impossible for an inherited word. In others, the origin is unclear. In yet others, the lemma is apparently Indo-European in origin, judging by the structure but there are no cognates outside Indo-Iranian. Quite possibly, these have evolved from Proto-Indo-European words which left no other attested descendants.
Variants and descendants
[edit]In some of these "exclusively Indo-Iranian" words, the descendants do not follow the otherwise predictable path. The expected sounds are not yielded. Sometimes there exist variants with two branches taking two different variants. The variants are sometimes so big that one may be a velar and the other a palatalized consonant. Even then, linguists are confident that they are related.
The List
[edit]a
[edit]- *ákas (“bad”); this word is thought to have originated from a substrate language. Reflected in Avestan 𐬀𐬐𐬀 (aka, “bad”). This adjective was nominalized in Old Indo-Aryan to form Sanskrit अक (áka, “pain, unhappiness”).
- *áryas (“Aryan”); much debated. Earlier, it was given an IE origin.
- *Aryamán; Popular figure of the Indo-Iranian pantheon. Along with Wr̥tragʰnás and Apām Napāt, he is one of the best known Indo-Iranian gods.
- *andʰás (“blind, dark”); Sanskrit अन्ध (andha), Avestan 𐬀𐬥𐬛𐬀 (anda), Sogdian [script needed] ('nt). Some linguists suggest a relation to Latin umbra (“shadow”) and andabata (“fighting with helmets without openings for eyes”), but an Italo-Indic isogloss is very improbable.
- *ánu (“after, following, corresponding to”); seen in Sanskrit अनु (ánu) and Avestan 𐬀𐬥𐬎 (anu), it looks very Indo-European. However, there are no other branches that have this word. An unconvincing Tocharian cognate has been suggested. The word is perhaps a compound of *a- (“not, un-”) and *nu (“now”) (both words have rock solid IE etymologies), thus originally meaning "not now" (i.e., later), with the meaning later slightly shifting to "subsequent", "after". The accentuation of the word does not support this supposition.
- *átʰarwan (“priest”); probably a cultural borrowing from an unidentified language. Sanskrit अथर्वन् (atharvan) and Avestan 𐬁𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬥 (āθrauuan) are from here. Along with the ȷ́ʰáwtā, he is an important figure in the Indo-Iranian church.
b(ʰ)
[edit]- *bíHȷ́am (“seed”); but for Sogdian & Parachi, this would have been confined to Indo-Aryan. Also, -biza was apparently a suffix in Old Iranian names.
- *bʰiš- (“medicine, healing”); descendants of this root are found in Old and New Iranian languages and Sanskrit. Origin unknown. It was introduced in Proto-Indo-Iranian early enough to display the RUKI effect. The only direct descendant is Avestan 𐬠𐬌𐬱- (biš-, “healing”), with the rest taking from the various derivatives.
- *bʰišáȷ́ (“doctor, healer, physician”); Sanskrit भिषज् (bhiṣaj) is a direct descendant. In Iranian, a derivative *bišaȷ́ka existed, which was metathesized to *biȷ́aška. Iranian words descended from this include Middle Persian bizešk, Persian پزشک (pezešk), Kurdish. All the other forms (excepting the original *bʰiš-) are derived from this noun.
- *bʰišaȷ́- (“to cure, heal”) This is a verb root, derived from the noun above, developing into Sanskrit भिषज्- (bhiṣaj-) and Avestan 𐬠𐬌𐬱𐬀𐬰- (bišaz-), both meaning "to heal".
- *bʰayšaȷ́ás (“curative”); attested in Sanskrit भेषज (bheṣaja) and Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬀𐬰𐬀 (baēšaza)
- *bʰayšaȷ́yas; derived from bʰayšaȷ́ás, this developed into Sanskrit भेषज्य (bheṣajya) and Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬀𐬰𐬌𐬌𐬀 (baēšaziia).
- *bʰišáȷ́ (“doctor, healer, physician”); Sanskrit भिषज् (bhiṣaj) is a direct descendant. In Iranian, a derivative *bišaȷ́ka existed, which was metathesized to *biȷ́aška. Iranian words descended from this include Middle Persian bizešk, Persian پزشک (pezešk), Kurdish. All the other forms (excepting the original *bʰiš-) are derived from this noun.
ć
[edit]- *ćikš- (“to learn”); this root has left descendants in plentiful in Indo-Aryan: there is the Sanskrit descendant शिक्षति (śikṣati, “to learn”) and related terms such as शिक्षा (śikṣā). It is a very popular Indo-Aryan term and has descendants in all New Indo-Aryan languages. In Iranian, Avestan alone attests this root, with 𐬯𐬌𐬑𐬱𐬆𐬨𐬥𐬀 (sixšəmna, “learned”), 𐬯𐬌𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀 (sixšaiia, “to be learned”), 𐬁𐬯𐬌𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬝 (āsixšat̰, “not learning”) and a few other terms. No other cognates in Indo-European or Indo-Iranian have been found.
- *ćšudʰ- (“hunger; to be hungry”); descendants are Sanskrit क्षुध् (kṣúdh), Avestan 𐬱𐬎𐬜𐬆𐬨 (šuδəm), Middle Persian [script needed] (šwd), Ossetian суд (sud), all meaning "hunger". The word additionally serves as a verbal root in Sanskrit, with क्षुध्यति (kṣúdhyati, “is hungry”) being the primary derivative. With no known non-IIR cognates, this term is an Indo-Iranian innovation.
d
[edit]- *dyuH- ~ *diHw- (“to endeavour, to dare, to venture”). From this IIR root come Sanskrit दीव्यति (dī́vyati, “to throw a dice, to gamble; to bet, wager”), Avestan 𐬁𐬛𐬍𐬎𐬎𐬌𐬌𐬈𐬌𐬧𐬙𐬍 (ādīuuiieiṇtī, “to endeavour”), Ossetian ӕндеун (ændewn, “to dare”). The Old Indo-Aryan word द्यूत (dyūtá, “gambling”), also a formation of this root, is the source of words for gambling in New Indo-Aryan languages: c.f. Hindi जुआ (juā).
g(ʰ)
[edit]- *gandʰúHmas ~ gantúHmas (“wheat”); a borrowing from an unclear source. Proto-Semitic *ḥnṭ and Hittite [script needed] (kant) have been offered for comparison. This evolved into Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬙𐬎𐬨𐬀 (gaṇtuma), Middle Persian gnwm (gannum) and others in Iranian. In Old Indo-Aryan, for unknown reasons the initial nasal was deleted and compensatory vowel breaking occurred as seen in Sanskrit गोधूम (godhū́ma). The word was also probably re-structured so as to be interpreted as गो (go, “cow”) + धूम (dhūma, “smoke”). It is also to be noted that Old Indo-Aryan gawdhū́ma was not the only diphthongized outcome of *gandhū́ma; Hindi गेहूँ (gehū̃) goes back to an Old Indo-Aryan *gedhū́ma, from an earlier *gaidhū́ma, which was a dialectal variety of the attested gawdhū́ma.
- *gadā (“mace”); a substrate origin word, whence Sanskrit गदा (gadā), Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬜𐬁 (gaδā) and Middle Persian gad.
- *g(ʰ)andʰ- (“smell”); seen in Sanskrit गन्ध (gandhá), Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬌𐬧𐬙𐬌 (gaiṇti), Sogdian γnt (“stench”), Persian گند (gand, “stench”). While the Iranian terms refer to a bad smell or a stench, their Indo-Aryan counterpart refers to just a smell or even fragrance.
- *g(ʰ)andʰarwás ~ *g(ʰ)andʰarbʰás (“a mythical being”); this Indo-Iranian term of apparent substrate origin is the source of Sanskrit गन्धर्व (gandharva), Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬛𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gaṇdərəβa) and 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬛𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gaṇdarəβa). They feature in Indic and Iranian mythology and there is a *w ~ *bʰ variation which is rare in inherited terms but common in substrate origin words.
- *garȷ́ʰ- (“to complain”); derivatives of this root include Sanskrit गर्हति (garhati), गर्हा (garhā), Avestan 𐬔𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬈 (gərəzaite) and many New Iranian words of which Persian گریستن (geristan) is one.
- *gʰas- (“to eat”); this exclusively Indo-Iranian root has a strong evidence of its existence but no evidence of its descent from any Indo-European root. The Iranian derivatives are Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬢𐬵𐬆𐬧𐬙𐬌 (gaŋhəṇti) and 𐬥𐬌𐬔𐬃𐬢𐬵𐬀𐬧𐬙 (nigā̊ŋhaṇt, present participle). Pashto غاښ (ǧâẍ) is also from this root, perhaps from **gʰástram. The word exists in Indo-Aryan as Sanskrit अघस् (ághas, 2nd and 3rd singular aorist), अक्षन् (ákṣan, 3rd plural aorist). These aorist tenses mean "(s/he / they) has/have eaten". Indo Aryan also has the desiderative जिघत्सति (jíghatsati, “wishes to eat”) and a zero-grade u-stem noun from this root, क्षु (kṣú, “food”) (from *gʰš-ú → *kšú).
- *ǰʰagʰ; a reduplication of the above root. The formal derivatives are: Avestan 𐬘𐬀𐬑𐬱𐬎𐬎𐬁𐬵 (jaxšuuāh, perfect tense) and Sanskrit जजक्षुर् (jajakṣur, 3rd plural perfect), अजक्षीत् (ajakṣīt) (both the Avestan and Sanskrit forms are from *ǰʰagʰ-s). Also descended from this reduplicated form of the root is Old Indo-Aryan जग्ध (jagdhá, “eaten”) (from *ǰʰagʰ-tá → *ǰʰagdʰá).
- *gʰawȷ́ʰ- (“to conceal, hide”); the derivatives being Sanskrit गूहति (gū́hati, “conceals, hides”), गुहा (guhā́, “hiding place”), गूढ (gūḍhá)/गूळ्ह (gūḷhá, “hidden”), Avestan 𐬔𐬎𐬰𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (guzaēta), 𐬀𐬔𐬎𐬰𐬈 (aguze), 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬔𐬎𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬧𐬙𐬀 (fraguzaiiaṇta), Old Persian 𐎠𐎱𐎥𐎢𐎭𐎹 (a-p-g-u-d-y /apagaudaya/, “to hide away”), Parthian [script needed] (ngwz, “to hide”). The long u in Sanskrit गूहति (gūhati) is unetymological and is probably influenced by गूढ (gūḍha). That the initial voiced velar was aspirated is proven by the structure of the Sanskrit desiderative verb जुघुक्षति (jughukṣati, “to wish to conceal”); the root was reduplicated and the first velar stop appeared twice, with the palatalization and Grassmann's law affecting it only, leaving the second intact and aspirated. Although seemingly restricted to Indo-Iranian, this root has been given an Indo-European origin by many linguists, who link it to certain Baltic and Germanic terms.
- *gʰawš- (“to hear”); there are no cognates outside IIR. However, the structure of this root cannot rule out an IE origin. This is why Pokorny reconstructs an Indo-European root with a note: "Nur indoiranisch".
H
[edit]- *Hanćúš (“the sawma plant”); Sanskrit अंशु (aṃśu) and Avestan 𐬄𐬯𐬎 (ąsu). The nectar of the gods (*sáwmas) was extracted from this plant. Most likely, the Indo-Iranians, upon arriving in Sintashta were introduced to this plant and the drink by the natives.
- *Hanyás (“other”); this IIR term gave Sanskrit अन्य (anyá), Avestan 𐬀𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬀 (aniia) and Old Persian 𐎠𐎴𐎹 (a-n-y /aniya/). The etymology of this word is uncertain but descent from Indo-European *h₂élyos (“other”) is suggested, with cognates like Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos), Latin alius, English else. The l -> n transformation is what makes the IE etymology uncertain. If this word is indeed from *h₂élyos, the resultant IIR **Háryas was perhaps altered to avoid confusion with *(H)áryas ("Aryan").
- *HanyátʰaH (“otherwise”); reflected in Sanskrit अन्यथा (anyathā) and Avestan 𐬀𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬚𐬁 (aniiaθā).
- *Hárdʰas (“half”); attested as Sanskrit अर्ध (ardha) and Avestan 𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬀 (arəδa, “half”). This word is more favored by the Indo-Aryan branch while the Iranian branch uses *náymas
- *Hr̥nás (“debt; guilt”); in Indo-Aryan there is Sanskrit ऋण (ṛṇa, “debt, guilt”). Iranian descendants are Khotanese ārra (“fault”), Sogdian [script needed] ('rn, “fault”), as well as the Avestan term 𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬥𐬀𐬝𐬹𐬗𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬀 (arənat̰ caēša, “punishing guilt”).
ȷ́(ʰ)/ǰ(ʰ)
[edit]- *ȷ́ráyas (“vastness / sea”); this term is popular in Iranian, where it means "the sea": Avestan 𐬰𐬭𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬢𐬵 (zraiiaŋh), Old Persian 𐎭𐎼𐎹 (darya), Modern Persian دریا (daryā), Kurdish. In Sanskrit, the word ज्रयस् (jráyas) appears in old Rigvedic hymns where it means "expanse", "vast, flat surface". This Rigvedic word, inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian, is not found in later Sanskrit and Middle and New Indo-Aryan.
- *ȷ́ʰarmyám (“large mansion, permanent dwelling”); this Indo-Iranian word is the source of Sanskrit हर्म्य (harmya, “large house”). Avestan attests the word in compounds, viz. 𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬨𐬌𐬌𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬧𐬙 (zairimiiāuuaṇt, “with a permanent house”) and 𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬨𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬢𐬎𐬭𐬀 (zairimiiaŋura, “tortoise”, literally “with toes in the house”).
- *ȷ́ʰas- ~*ǰʰas- (“to laugh”); this is a special case. Its existence is not certain, neither is its form or its status (is it from Proto-Indo-European or an IIR innovation or an Indo-Aryan innovation?) Its derivatives are abundantly attested in Indo-Aryan, right from the oldest dialects of Old Indo-Aryan to the youngest of the modern Indo-Aryan languages. The derivatives are Sanskrit हसति (hasati, “he/she laughs”) (whence Hindi हसना (hasnā) etc), हस (hasá) (found in the Rig Veda) et al. Two Avestan cognates are proposed by the scholars: 𐬘𐬀𐬵𐬌𐬐𐬁 (jahikā, “prostitute”) and 𐬰𐬀𐬒𐬌𐬌𐬀 (zax́iia, “laughable”). However they are both problematic: the first one does not match semantically and the interpretation of the second one is uncertain. Moreover, they both match formally with Sanskrit हस् (has) but not with each other. The former requires *ǰʰas- and the latter, *ȷ́ʰas-. The ancient Indo-Aryan reduplication of this root, seen in the Rigvedic Sanskrit term जक्षत् (jákṣat) and in Pali jagghati and ujjagghati furnishes more evidence that an earlier form of the Old Indo-Aryan root has- definitely existed. The medial -ggh- in Pali jagghati betrays the fact that even Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰas-/*ǰʰas had a predecessor which was likely *g(ʷ)ʰes (see LIV page 199). So the reduplication is understood to be as follows: *gʷʰéseti --> *gʷʰegʷʰs- --> IIR *ǰʰagžʰ- --> Old Indo-Aryan *jagẓʰ --> Rigvedic jákṣat and Pali jagghati. It may be noted that this line of thought now disregards *ȷ́ʰas- and assumes *ǰʰas- to be the true form. Finally, a word जज्झती (jajjhatī) is found in Book 5 of the Rig Veda. Book 5 is a part of the oldest core of the Rig Veda. The meaning of this term is unclear but if it is indeed from here, it may go back either to a previous *jágẓʰati (described above) or to a *jáḍẓʰati. In the event that it is from the latter formation, its IIR and pre-IIR roots will be *ȷ́ʰas and *ǵʰes respectively: *ǵʰes--> *ǵʰeǵʰs --> IIR *ȷ́ʰaȷ́žʰ --> Old Indo-Aryan jáḍẓʰ.
k(ʰ)
[edit]- *kaćyápas ~ *kasćapas (“turtle, tortoise”); the former variant gave Sanskrit कश्यप (kaśyapa) and Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬞𐬀 (kasiiapa); the latter gave Sanskrit कच्छप (kacchapa). Modern Indo-Aryan languages use terms descended from the latter Sanskrit word. Other Iranian descendants include Sogdian [script needed] (kyšph), Khotanese khuysaa-, Persian کشف (kašaf, “turtle, tortoise”).
- *kan- (“to dig”); found in Sanskrit खन् (khan, “to dig”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬥- (kan-, “to dig”), Old Persian 𐎣𐎴- (kan-, “to dig”). The Sanskrit has an unetymological aspiration of the first consonant. This is perhaps in analogy with खा (khā, “well, spring”).
- *kapáwtas (“pigeon; blue”); attested in Sanskrit कपोत (kapota, “pigeon”) and many Middle and New Iranian languages, including Persian کبوتر (kabutar, “pigeon”). The noun (pigeon) occurs in both the branches but the adjective (blue) seems to be restricted to Iranian. Further origin in unknown.
- *kapʰas (“phlegm”); attested in Sanskrit कफ (kapha) and Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬟𐬀 (kafa).
- *kʰā́ (“well, spring, source (of water)”); attested in Sanskrit खा (khā́), Avestan 𐬑𐬁 (xā) and many other Iranian languages, the origin of this monosyllabic is unknown.
- *kʰáras (“donkey”); Sanskrit खर (khara), Avestan 𐬑𐬀𐬭𐬀 (xara), Persian خر (xar).
- *kʰumbʰas (“pot”); arguably the most interesting of all. Apparent "cognates" are found in other branches: Proto-Germanic *kumbaz (“bowl, vessel, tub, vat”), Proto-Celtic *kumbā (“valley”). Germanic initial /k/ betrays that this is not an inheried word. It may be an old wanderwort which spread at a time when the different branches of the Indo-Europeans still lived comparatively close to each other. Descendants include Sanskrit कुम्भ (kumbha), Avestan 𐬑𐬎𐬨𐬠𐬀 (xumba), Persian خم (xom).
- *kramH- (“to stride, go”); there are no Indo-European cognates but the structure of the root does not rule out an Indo-European origin.
- *krawdʰ- (“to be angry”); this Indo-Iranian root survives in Sanskrit क्रुध्यति (krudhyati) and Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬛𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 (xraodaiti). Sanskrit क्रोध (krodha, “anger”), क्रुद्ध (kruddha, “angry”) and Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬛𐬀𐬝 (xraodat̰) are also formations from this root.
- *kšīrám (“milk”); a substrate origin word found in Sanskrit क्षीर (kṣīra), Persian شیر (šīr) and Kurdish, all meaning "milk". A variant *kšwid- also existed, perhaps an Iranian innovation, which gave Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬎𐬎𐬌𐬛- (xšuuid-) and Zazaki şıt, şıd.
- *kúttas (“dog”); may just be naturally onomatopoeic. Attested in some branches of Iranian (Proto-Iranian *kútah), notably Bactrian κοδο (kodo), Sogdian [script needed] (ʾkwt-y), and onwards from Middle Indo-Aryan, e.g. Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀓𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 (kutta).
m
[edit]- *mátsyas (“fish”); this Indo-Iranian word with no known etymology is the source of Sanskrit मत्स्य (matsya) and Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬀 (masiia). Hindi मच्छी (macchī) and Persian ماهی (mâhi), both "fish", from Old Indo-Aryan and Old Iranian respectively, are also ultimately from this word.
- *mawǰʰ- ~ *mawgʰ- (“to err, to go astray, to deviate”); this descended into Sanskrit मुह् (muh) (and its derivatives like मुह्यति (muhyati), मोह (moha), मूढ (mūḍha)) and is found in a few Iranian compounds like Avestan (𐬆𐬴𐬆-)𐬨𐬀𐬊𐬖𐬀 ((əṣ̌ə-)maoγa, “teacher of false doctrines”) and Middle Persian 'hl-mwg'n (“heretics”). All Sanskrit descendants except for मुग्ध (mugdha), derive from *mawǰʰ-. मुग्ध (mugdha) and the Iranian forms derive from mawgʰ-. The *mawǰʰ- ~ *mawgʰ variation may indicate an Indo-European origin with a root like *mewgʷʰ-. However, no non-Indo-Iranian cognates have been found.
- *mayū́kʰas (“peg, nail”); Sanskrit मयूख (mayū́kha) and Old Persian 𐎶𐎹𐎧 (MYUX /mayūxa/) are from here. From the Old Persian word comes Persian میخ (mix).
- *mr̥gás (“beast/bird”); an example of a reconstructed word with the descendants agreeing on the form but not the meaning. The Indo-Aryan terms viz Sanskrit मृग (mṛga) and its descendants like Pali miga and Prakrit ma-a refer to ungulates like a deer, buck, antelope or gazelle. On the other hand in Iranian, the term means "bird": Avestan 𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬖𐬀 (mərəγa), Baluchi مرگ (murg), Persian مرغ (morğ, “hen”), borrowed from Parthian murγ.
- *mr̥žd- (“to forgive, pardon; to take pity”); descendants include Sanskrit मृड् (mṛḍ), Avestan 𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬲𐬛- (mərəžd-). Rigvedic Sanskrit uses the variant मृळ् (mṛḷ). This Indo-Iranian root is also seen in Persian آمرزیدن (âmorzidan, “to forgive”).
- *muštíš (“fist”); seen in Sanskrit मुष्टि (muṣṭi), Avestan 𐬨𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬌 (mušti). From Old Indo-Aryan and Old Iranian come Hindi मुट्ठी (muṭṭhī) and Persian مشت (mošt) respectively.
n
[edit]- *nadíH (“river”); from which Sanskrit नदी (nadī́) is descended. In Avestan, an adverb 𐬀𐬥𐬀𐬌𐬜𐬍𐬨 (anaiδīm, “across a river”) survives. Uncertain connections are made to Ancient Greek Νέδα (Néda) and Middle Low German Nette, both names of rivers.
- *nayȷ́žʰ- (“to pierce”); whence Sanskrit नेक्षण (nekṣaṇa, “fork, skewer; long metal rod for piercing and stirring food”) and Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬰𐬀 (naēza, “tip of a needle”). From this term, there are also words for "spear/lance" in Armenian and Persian via borrowing from Old Iranian dialects. In Vedic, it additionally serves as a verb root निक्ष् (nikṣ, “to pierce”).
- *náymas (“half”); this IIR term gives Sanskrit नेम (nema, “half”) and Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬨𐬀 (naēma) and Persian نیم (nēm), meaning "half". This word is favored by the Iranian branch while Indo-Aryan uses *Hárdʰas.
p
[edit]- *pāpás (“bad”); this became Sanskrit पाप (pāpa) and Avestan 𐬞𐬁𐬞𐬀 (pāpa), both meaning "bad". The Sanskrit term is also a noun, meaning "sin". Further etymology is unknown.
- *púsćas (“tail; plait”); seen in Sanskrit पुच्छ (púccha) and Avestan 𐬞𐬎𐬯𐬀 (pusa). This IIR term has been connect to the Germanic term *fuhsaz (“fox”). But the Germanic form points to *púḱsos whereas the Indo-Iranian terms require *púsḱos and the metathesis will need explaining. The cognation seems less compelling if the meanings are also taken into consideration which leads to Lubotsky favoring a non-IE origin.
r & r̥
[edit]- *r̥šíš (“seer, sage”); another term from the Indo-Iranian religious glossary that seems to be influenced by a substrate language. Descendants are Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛṣi) and Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬱𐬌𐬱 (ərəšiš).
- *raȷ́ʰ- (“to abandon, empty; secret, mystery”); descendants include Sanskrit रहति (rahati, “to quit, abandon”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎺-𐎼𐎭 (ava-rad, “to abandon”), Persian رستن (rastan, “to escape”). From the sense "secret, mystery", descendants include Sanskrit रहस्य (rahasya) and Persian راز (râz), both meaning "secret".
- *ran(H)- (“delight, pleasure; battle, strife”); under the former meaning, we have Sanskrit रण (raṇa, “delight, pleasure”), Avestan 𐬭𐬁𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬋-𐬯𐬐𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬌𐬙𐬌 (rāniiō-skərəiti, “making more joyful”) and Middle Persian r'n (“refreshment”). The second sense is attested in Sanskrit रण (raṇa, “battle”), Avestan 𐬭𐬇𐬥𐬀 (rə̄na, “battle, fight”), Parthian rān (“to battle”). There is a single term with two meanings in Sanskrit; this is explained in the dictionaries by reasoning that the battle is the object of delight for a warrior. It is unclear if this connection between pleasure and warfare was made during the Proto-Indo-Iranian times or there originally were two unrelated terms which Sanskrit merged while preserving both meanings.
- *rawdʰ- (“to block, obstruct, hinder”); this was probably an old, rare Indo-Iranian root given the lack of its scope in Iranian. While the term is widespread in Indo-Aryan (Sanskrit रुध् (rudh) and its derivatives viz. रुणद्धि (ruṇáddhi), रोध (rodha), वि-रोध (vi-rodha), रुद्ध (ruddhá), वि-रुद्ध (vi-ruddha) et cetra), Avestan alone attests a handful of terms on the Iranian side. The Avestan derivatives are: 𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬜𐬆𐬧𐬙𐬌 (auuaraoδəṇti), 𐬎𐬭𐬏𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬜𐬀 (urūraoδa), 𐬎𐬭𐬏𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬯𐬙 (urūraost), 𐬬𐬍𐬭𐬀𐬊𐬜𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬈𐬌𐬙𐬌 (vīraoδaiieiti), etc.
- *rayš- (“to suffer damage, be hurt”); although this IIR root has been connected with some Germanic and Balto-Slavic terms which mean "to cut" etc., solid Indo-European cognates are wanting. In case it does come from an IE root, this IIR root will instead be *Hrayš- since inherited IIR roots don't commence with an r. The Sanskrit and Avestan roots are Sanskrit रिष् (riṣ) and Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬉𐬱- (raēš-) respectively. Ossetian рыст (ryst, “pain”) is another descendant.
- *ríšyati (“is hurt”); Sanskrit रिष्यति (riṣyati) and Avestan 𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬱𐬌𐬌𐬈𐬌𐬙𐬌 (irišiieiti).
- *rayšás (“wound, damage, injury”); Sanskrit रेष (reṣa), Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬀 (raēša), Persian ریش (riš), all meaning "wound, damage"
- *rayšáyati (“hurts, injures”); Sanskrit रेषयति (reṣayati). In Avestan, this verb is indirectly attested through the 3rd person singular present subjunctive 𐬭𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬁𐬝 (raēšaiiāt̰).
- *rištás (“hurt, damaged”); Sanskrit रिष्ट (riṣṭa), Avestan 𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬱𐬙𐬀 (irišta).
s
[edit]- *sáynaH (“army, troops”); seen in Sanskrit सेना (senā), Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬉𐬥𐬁 (haēnā), Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎴𐎠 (hainā). It is of immense interest that while Sanskrit सेना (senā) means simply "army", the Iranian terms refer to a "hostile army". The military belligerence between the early Iranians and Indo-Aryans is well known to scholars; the Iranians moved away from the Indo-Iranian fold and renounced their old gods, turning them into demons. Similarly, the Iranian warriors may have left the old armies which were called *sáynaH and they thus came to be considered enemy armies.
- *strī́ (“woman”); this is a popular Indo-Aryan term, with Sanskrit स्त्री (strī́) leaving loanwords and descendants in many languages. In Iranian, we have Avestan 𐬯𐬙𐬭𐬍 (strī, “woman”) and Kurdish.
u
[edit]- *úštras (“camel, buffalo”); attested in Sanskrit उष्ट्र (uṣṭra), Avestan 𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (uštra) and Old Persian 𐎢𐏁𐎰𐎼 (ušθra), the descendants of this Indo-Iranian term abound in both New Indic and New Iranian languages. A derivation from Indo-European *ūrs with a Germanic cognate *ūraz seems unlikely to Lubotsky. A substrate origin has been suggested.
w
[edit]- *wan- (“tree, wood”); this root with varied formations meant a tree as evidenced by Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬥𐬁 (vanā, “tree”), Sogdian wn (“tree”), Middle Persian [script needed] (wan /wn'/, “tree”). Pashto ونه (wëna, “tree”) is a Modern Iranian descendant. In Indo-Aryan, the descended word, वन (vana) came to mean a forest; a collection of trees. However, Vedic Sanskrit preserves the original meaning as in Vedic the term वन (vana) also means a single tree. Moreover, Vedic also possesses the root noun वन् (ván), meaning "wood".
- *wanćá- (“ceiling beam”); this noun became Sanskrit वंश (vaṃśa). Wakhi was and Shughni вис (vis), both meaning "ceiling beam", are the Iranian descendants. The Sanskrit word means "bamboo" and "cane" and also "ceiling beam". Based on the meaning of the Wakhi & the Shughni terms, it can be assumed that the term meant "ceiling beam". The meaning "bamboo/cane" is an Indo-Aryan innovation. Interestingly enough, in Sanskrit, the meaning "ceiling beam" is attested later than "bamboo"; the former attestation comes from the Atharva-Veda while the latter attestation comes from the earlier Rig-Veda. Hindi बाँस (bā̃s) is an example of a modern Indo-Aryan descendant of वंश (vaṃśa).
- *warāȷ́ʰás (“boar”); from here, we have Sanskrit वराह (varāha, “boar”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬁𐬰𐬀 (varāza, “boar”), Kurdish and Persian گراز (gorâz). There is no Indo-European etymology for this Indo-Iranian term and Lubotsky suggests a borrowing from a substrate language.
- *wr̥ćšás (“tree”); Sanskrit वृक्ष (vṛkṣa), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬱𐬀 (varəša), both meaning "tree". No non IIR cognates.
- *wr̥tkás (“kidney”); whence Sanskrit वृक्क (vṛkka), Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬐𐬀 (vərəδka). Modern Persian گرده (gorde) is also from here.
y
[edit]- *yáćas (“glory, honor”); which became Sanskrit यशस् (yaśas) and Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬯𐬀𐬵 (yasah), both meaning "glory, honor". Lubotsky claims an Indo-European origin but acknowledges the absence of non-Indo-Iranian cognates.
- *yaHtúš (“magic, sorcery”); this gave Sanskrit यातु (yātú), Avestan 𐬫𐬁𐬙𐬎 (yātu) and the very popular Persian term, jâdu. An Indo-European origin has been suggested in the literature and cannot be ruled out (also because of the structure which looks very Indo-European). However, it is unconvincing. Moreover, terms related to religion and the occult in Indo-Iranian are quite often borrowed from the Central Asian substrate.
- *yam- (“to hold”); This root looks very Indo-European through its derivations but no non-IIR cognates have been found. The descendants are Sanskrit यम् (yam), Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬨- (yam-), Old Persian 𐎠𐎹𐎿𐎫 (a-y-s-t /āyastā/), along with many more Iranian cognates.
- *yaw- (“to separate”); Sanskrit has युयोति (yuyoti) and युच्छति (yucchati), from two separate classes. The Iranian relfexes are primarily adjectives meaning "separated": Persian جدا (jodâ) and Avestan 𐬫𐬏𐬙𐬀 (yūta), which are formally cognate with Sanskrit युत (yuta).
- *yawiyā́ (“canal, stream”); attested in Vedic यव्या (yavyā́), Old Persian 𐎹𐎢𐎻𐎹𐎠 (y-u-vi-y-a /yauviyā/), and some New Iranian terms. Vedic yavyā́ is metrically trisyllabic, which means that the original pronunciation of yaviyā́ was retained in Vedic. It is a personal conjecture of mine that this term is derived from the root *yaw- (“to separate”) above; given the fact that a canal or a stream is dug by splitting the earth and the two banks are separated by a space in which the water flows.