Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂éḱos

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

    From *h₂eḱ- +‎ *-os. The agricultural meanings of the term may not date back to Proto-Indo-European. Tocharian B āka (a kind of grain) may reflect a neuter plural form *h₂éḱōs.[1] However, the appurtenance of this Tocharian term is not universally accepted. The linguist Michaël Peyrot argues that it is semantically problematic that the term refers to millet, which is not a kind of grain with pointed ears. Alternatively, Peyrot suggests that the word may actually derive from *h₂éḱ-h₂.[2][3]

    Noun

    *h₂éḱos n[4][5][6][7]

    1. sharpness
    2. ear of grain

    Conjugation

    Athematic, acrostatic
    singular
    nominative *h₂éḱos
    genitive *h₂éḱesos
    singular dual plural
    nominative *h₂éḱos *h₂éḱesih₁ *h₂éḱōs
    vocative *h₂éḱos *h₂éḱesih₁ *h₂éḱōs
    accusative *h₂éḱos *h₂éḱesih₁ *h₂éḱōs
    genitive *h₂éḱesos *? *h₂éḱesoHom
    ablative *h₂éḱesos *? *h₂éḱesmos, *h₂éḱesbʰos
    dative *h₂éḱesey *? *h₂éḱesmos, *h₂éḱesbʰos
    locative *h₂éḱes, *h₂éḱesi *? *h₂éḱesu
    instrumental *h₂éḱesh₁ *? *h₂éḱesmis, *h₂éḱesbʰis

    Descendants

    • Proto-Armenian:[8]
      • ? Old Armenian: հասկ (hask, ear of grain)
    • Proto-Germanic: *ahaz (ear (of grain)) (see there for further descendants)
    • Proto-Hellenic:[7]
      • ? Ancient Greek: ἀκοστή (akostḗ, barley), ἀγοσταί (agostaí)
    • Proto-Italic: *akos[9]
      • Latin: acus (husk of grain, chaff) (see there for further descendants)
    • Proto-Tocharian: *āke m, *ākā f
      • Tocharian A: āk
      • Tocharian B: āke m sg (end), āka f pl (a kind of grain, millet)

    References

    1. ^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “āka”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 39
    2. ^ Peyrot, M.; Kroonen, G.; Mallory, J.P.; Comrie, B. (2013), “Tocharian agricultural terminology: Between inheritance and language contact”, in Journal of Indo-European Studies[1], Leipzig, →ISBN, page 254
    3. ^ Kroonen, Guus; Jakob, Anthony; Palmér, Axel; van Sluis, Paulus; Wigman, Andrew (12 October 2022), “Indo-European cereal terminology suggests a Northwest Pontic homeland for the core Indo-European languages”, in Wichmann, Søren, editor, PLoS ONE[2], volume 17, number 10, →DOI, page 11 of 45:*h₂eḱ-os-
    4. ^ Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), “*h₂áḱ-es-”, in Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon [Nouns in the Indo-European Lexicon] (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, page 288
    5. ^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*h₂eḱes-”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 237
    6. ^ Malzahn Melanie; Fellner, Hannes A. (2015), “Lifting up the light: tläś and lkäś in Tocharian A”, in Olsen, Birgit Anette, Peyrot, Michaël, Pinault, Georges-Jean, Olander, Thomas, editors, Tocharian and Indo-European Studies[3], volume 16, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, →ISBN, page 71:*h₂ek̑-os-
    7. 7.0 7.1 Blažek, Václav (2012), “On Indo-European ‘barley’”, in Etymology and the European Lexicon: Proceedings of the 14th Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft, 17–22 September 2012, Copenhagen[4], Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, published 2016, page 56:*h₂ek̑-os-
    8. ^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2010), “hask”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, pages 389-390
    9. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “acus, -eris”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 23-24:PIt. *akos