The Indo-Iranian substratum

Abstract

The Indo-Iranian substratum ALEXANDER LUBOTSKY *aka-adj.`bad': Skt.a kan.`pain', a kam adv.`in a bad way'; Av. aka-`bad, evil'.*anc um.`Soma plant' (probably ephedra): Skt.am s u -`Soma plant'; Av. a su-`Haoma plant'.*atka-m.`cloak': Skt.a tka-; LAv.aka-, a.ka-.*at h aru anm.`priest': Skt.a tharvan-; Av. rauuan-/aaurun-.*c -/ac as-`region, space': Skt. s f.; LAv.asahn.*b h i-`medicine, medicinal herb': Skt.bhis a jm.`physician'; Av.  bi-`medicine', LAv.biaziia-`to cure'.*c aru am.name of a deity: Skt.s arvaname of a god; LAv.sauruuaname of a dava.*‰t-`pit, well': Skt.c tvla-(Br.+)m.n.`pit (dug in order to get ground for the northern altar)'; LAv.ctf.`(dug) well', Buddh.Sogd.‰'t, Bactrian  `well'.*dac f.`hem, thread': Skt.das -`hem'; Khot.dasa, Bal.dasag `thread'.*dr c a-/dr  c a-(?) `coarse garment': Skt.drs an.`coarse garment'; Wakhi irs (Grjunberg & Steblin-Kamenskij 1976: dərs) `wool of a goat or a yak', Shughni ox c `id.; body hair; coarse cloth' (cf.Karamoev 1991 s.v.).*gad-f.`club': Skt.(S+) gad-; LAv.ga-, MiP gad.*gand h /t-`smell': Skt.gandham.`smell'; LAv.gain ti-`bad smell'.*g (h) and h (a)ru /b (h) am.`a mythical being': Skt.gandharva -; LAv.gan dərəa-.*gr da-`penis': Skt.gr dam.; LAv.gərə.kərətaadj.`cutting off the genitals'.*indra-m.name of a deity: Skt.i ndraname of a god; LAv.in draname of a dava.Mayrhofer (EWAia s.v.) offers several etymologies, none of which is convincing, however.From a semantic point of view, the most plausible etymology is Slavic *je drъ `strong, fresh', but the primary meaning in Slavic is clearly `pit, kernel'.Note the "wrong" vocalization, if this were an IE formation (form *(H)indrowe expect IIr.**i adra-).*it(i )a-`brick': Skt.i s t akf.(VS+); LAv.itiian., OP itif., MiP xit (cf. on this word Witzel 1995: 103).*i avi f.`canal': Skt.yavy -/yavy / `stream, canal'; OP yauviy-`canal'.*j h armii a-`firm structure, permanent house': Skt.harm i yan.`firm structure', later `palace' (for the meaning see Elizarenkova 1995: 28f.);LAv.zairimiiuuan tadj.`with a permanent house' (said of the moon), zairimiiauram.`tortoise' = `with toes in a house'.*j aj h a/uk -`hedgehog': Skt.(YV+) ja hakf.;LAv.duaka-, Bal.j aj uk, duux, MoP a.[Brahui j aj ak, Santali j hik are most probably late borrowings from Indo-Iranian languages.]*kac i apam.`tortoise': Skt.kas ya pa-; LAv.kasiiapa-.*kadru-`reddish-brown': Skt.(TS+) ka dru-`reddish-brown'; Av. kadruua.aspaname of a mountain, MoP kahar `light brown'.*kaic a-/gaic am.`head hair': Skt.ke s a-; LAv.gasa-`curly hair', gasu-`with curly hair'.Connection with Skt.ke saran.(YV+) `mane' and Lat.caesaris `head hair' is uncertain.*kapauta-m.`pigeon': Skt.kapo ta-`pigeon'; OP kapautakaadj.`blue', MiP kabd `grey-blue, pigeon'.*kapra-`dish, bowl': Skt.kap lan.; MiP kabrag, MoP kabra.*kap h am.`mucus, phlegm': Skt.kapha-(Up.+)`phlegm'; LAv.kafa-`foam, mucus'.*karu-adj.`damaged (teeth)': Skt.ka rd atin-`with bad teeth'; Sogd.krw nt'k `id.'.*kuc im.`side of the body, flank': Skt.kuks i -; Sogd.qwy-.The often proposed connection with Skt.ko s am.`coop, cask' is unconvincing.*kra-`milk': Skt.ks ran.;MiP r, Yidgha-Munji xra.*k h aram.`donkey': Skt.khara-(AVP+); LAv.xara-.[Akkadian (Mari) ḫ arum, ajarum `donkey'; Tam.kar_ utai `id.' ?] *k h f.`well, source': Skt.kh -; LAv.x-.*mag h an.`gift, offering, sacrifice': Skt.magha -; OAv.maga-.Connection with Gothic mag `can, may' and its family is uncertain.*mai k h am.`wooden peg': Skt.may kha-`peg for stretching the woof'; OP = mayxa-`doorknob', Sogd.myɣk `peg', MiP and MoP mx `peg, nail', Oss.mx/mex `stake'.The current etymology derives the word from the root mi-`to build, erect', which explains neither its morphology (suffix *-k h a-?), nor semantics (the verbal root only means `to fix in the ground').The meaning `stake' is only attested in Ossetic and is clearly secondary.[In view of its meaning, PP *majk / majg `stake' (Re dei 72) is probably borrowed from Pre-Ossetic.]*malj h a-(?) `belly': Skt.malhaadj.`with hanging belly/udder' (said of goats and ewes) 5 ; LAv. mərəznan.`belly', maruii gen.sg.(the stem maruu-?)`paunch'.Probably, also Skt. ba rjaha-`udder', barjahya -`nipple' belong here.The current IE etymology, connecting Lith.mi ltis, Latvian milzt `to swell up', is phonetically impossible, since the Baltic acute points to IE *g (Winter's Law).*matsi am.`fish': Skt.ma tsya-; LAv.masiia-.The current IE etymology, which connects Germanic words like Gothic mats `food' < PGm.*mati-, explains neither the meaning nor the morphology of the IIr.word.*mr gam.`game': Skt.mr ga -`forest animal, bird'; LAv.mərəɣa-`bird'.*nagna-`yeast, bread': Skt.nagna hu-(AVP+) m. `yeast, ferment'; PIr.*nagna-`bread' (Sogd.nɣny, Pashto naɣan, MiP nn with an irregular development, etc.).The old theory, according to which the Skt.word was borrowed from Iranian *nagnax v d-`bread seasoning', seems improbable to me.[ PP *n an `bread' from Iranian, Re dei 73] *naij (s)-`spit': Skt.niks -`to pierce', n ks an a-, ne ks an an.`spit, fork'; LAv.nazan.`sharp point (of the needle)', MiP nzag `lance', MoP n `sharp point', ntar `lancet'.The Sanskrit verbal forms (present ni ks ati with its accented zero-grade) do not look old.*pau ast -`cloth': Skt.pava stan.`cover, garment'; OP pavastf.`thin clay envelope used to protect clay tablets'.*ppa-adj.`bad': Skt.ppa -; LAv.ppa  .*pi a-`biestings': Skt.py s am.n.; Wakhi pyix , Munji fə y.*pusc a-`tail': Skt.pu ccham.n.; LAv.pusam.*rc i-`heap': Skt.rs im.`heap, mass'; Pashto rya `heap (of grain)' < *rsii .A connection with *rac m-`rope' cannot be excluded, however.*r im.`seer': Skt.r  s i-; OAv.ərəi-.The initial accentuation in Sanskrit is aberrant (Lubotsky 1988: 29, 54).*sc ga-/sc aga-`billy-goat': Skt.ch gam.; Oss.sg / sg  `goat', Wakhi ‰əɣ `kid'.[ FP, FV *s aka / s awa `goat', Re dei 59] *sikat-/c ikat-`sand, gravel': Skt.si katf.`sand, gravel'; OP ikf.`gravel', Khot.siyat-`sand', Buddh.Sogd.ykth `gravel'.[Kannada usiku, usigu `sand' ?] *(s)p h ra-`ploughshare': Skt.ph lam.; MoP supr, Ik.uspir, Wakhi spndr (Grjunberg & Steblin-Kamenskij 1976: spundr `plough').It cannot be excluded that this is a migratory term and belongs to category D (Wanderwrter).*stuk -`tuft of hair': Skt.stu kf.`tuft of hair (esp. of a bull) or wool'; Oss.styg/stug `lock, tuft of hair'.Cf. also Skt. st pa-, stupam.`tuft of hair'.*s‰-/c ‰-`needle': Skt.sc -; LAv.sk-, MiP sozan, Oss.sʒn/soʒn.[ FP *s uka `chaff, awn', Re dei 59; probably, from Iranian, cf. 6.] *u aipa-(?) `tail': Skt.s e pam.(with irregular anlaut), Prkrit cheppf.; LAv.xuuapf.(for the etymology see Lubotsky 2000: 260, fn.20).*uc igm.`sacrificing priest': Skt.us i j-; Av. usig-.*u arj h am.`wild boar': Skt.varha -; LAv.varza-.[ FV *oras e `(castrated) boar', Re dei 54;probably, borrowed from Iranian, cf. 6.] *u c f.`axe, pointed knife': Skt.v s f.`axe, adze, chisel'; LAv.(Yasna 42.4) vs-`pointed knife (?)', Oss.ws (better was ?) 6 `axe, wood-chopper'.*u r c am.`tree': Skt.vr ks a -; LAv.varəa-.*u r tkam.du.`kidney': Skt.vr kka -(TS+ vr  kyau); LAv.vərəka-.The usual etymology derives this word from the root vr t-`to turn', which can hardly be correct because the suffix -kais only denominal in Indo-Iranian.[ PP vo rk `kidney', Re dei 79] *(H)utra-m.`camel': Skt.u s t ra-; Av. utra-, OP ua-briadj.`camel-borne' (the laryngeal may be responsible for -in zarautra-). B. Inherited words*(H)agra-`top': Skt.a gran.`tip, summit'; LAv.aɣraadj.`first, topmost'.The word has a clear IE appearance, although there are no plausible cognates.Note that the connection with Latvian agrs `early' (Mayrhofer, EWAia s.v.) is impossible because of Winter's Law.*(H)ainas-n.`crime, mistake': Skt.e nas-; Av. anah-.*(H)and h aadj.`blind': Skt.andha -; LAv.an da-.IE if Gallo-Latin andabata `gladiator fighting in a helmet without openings' (*`blind-fighter') belongs here.*(H)aruna-`red-brown': Skt.arun a -; Av. auruna-.*(H)arua-`reddish': Skt.arus a -`reddish'; Av. aurua-`white'.*(H)asra-adj

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