Reconstruction:Proto-Iranian/gr̥dáh

This Proto-Iranian 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-Iranian

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *gʰr̥dʰás.^[1]

Noun

*gr̥dáh m^[1]

house, dwelling

Inflection

masculine a-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*gr̥dáh	*gr̥dā́(w)	*gr̥dā́h(ah)
vocative	*gŕ̥da	*gŕ̥dā(w)	*gŕ̥dāh(ah)
accusative	*gr̥dám	*gr̥dā́(w)	*gr̥dā́nh
instrumental	*gr̥dáH	*gr̥dáybʰyā(m)	*gr̥dā́yš
ablative	*gr̥dā́t	*gr̥dáybʰyā(m)	*gr̥dáybʰyah
dative	*gr̥dā́y	*gr̥dáybʰyā(m)	*gr̥dáybʰyah
genitive	*gr̥dáhya	*gr̥dáyāh	*gr̥dā́naHam
locative	*gr̥dáy	*gr̥dáyaw	*gr̥dáyšu

Related terms

*gr̥dukam
- Proto-Scythian: *gərδuku
  - Proto-Saka-Wakhi: *ɣarδuɣu
    - Proto-Saka: *galū
      - Khotanese: [script needed] (ggalū, “family”)

*gŕ̥dyah (“servant, courtesan”)^[2]^[3] (cognate with Sanskrit गृह्य m (gṛ́hya, “in plural, inhabitants, domestics”))
- Proto-Scythian: *garδyi (“servant”)
  - Proto-Saka-Wakhi: *ɣarδyi
    - Proto-Saka: *gerδi
      - →? Proto-Tocharian: *kercye sg (“servant”), *kercciyi pl (“body of servants, entourage”)^[3]
        Tocharian B: kerccī pl m (“palace”) (see there for further descendants)
- Old Persian: *gr̥diyah (“servant”)
  - ⇒ Old Persian: *Gr̥diyabr̥zah
    - → Achaemenid Elamite: 𒆪𒊒𒋾–𒂊–𒁀𒊏–𒊭 (kur-ti-e-bar-šá, m.pn.)
  - ⇒ Old Persian: *Gr̥diyavā
    - → Achaemenid Elamite: 𒆪𒊒𒋾𒄿𒀀𒈠 (kur-ti-ia-ma, m.pn.)

Descendants

Central Iranian:
- Younger Avestan: 𐬔𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬀 (gər^əδa, “dwelling daēvic beings, hole, cave”)
Northeastern Iranian:
- Proto-Scythian: *gərδi
  - Proto-Sarmatian: *ɣarδ
    - →? Proto-Permic: *gɔrt (“home”) (see there for further descendants)
- ⇒? Yaghnobi: ғурда (ġurda, “eye”)^[4]
Southwestern Iranian:
- Old Persian: *gr̥dah (“house; house servants, slaves”)^[5]^[6]
  - Middle Persian: [Book Pahlavi needed] (gʾl /⁠gāl⁠/, “house servants, slaves; palace”)
  - →? Akkadian: 𒃼𒁺 (qardu; gardu) (disputed, more likely from 𒃼𒁺 (/⁠gardu⁠/, “soldier, military personnel, trooper”))
    - → Aramaic: גרדא (grdʾ)
  - → Elamite: 𒆳𒌨 (kurtaš)
- >? Persian: کرت (kart, “plot, field, patch”)
- → Old Armenian: գերդաստան (gerdastan, “body of servants and captives”) (or inherited from Indo-European)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Rastorgujeva, V. S.; Edelʹman, D. I. (2000–), “*gr̥da- ‘дом, жилище’”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 292-293: “др.-перс. *gr̥d(y)a- ‘раб, слуга’ ― dr.-pers. *gr̥d(y)a- ‘rab, sluga’”
^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992–2001), “gṛhá”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 495: “*gr̥dya-”
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Bernard, Chams Benoît (2025), Lubotsky, Alexander, Kloekhorst, Alwin, Tijmen, Pronk, editors, Like dust on the Silk Road: an investigation of the earliest Iranian loanwords and of possible BMAC borrowings in Tocharian (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 27), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →DOI, →ISSN, § 2.4.4.3 TB kercci from OSIr. *gr̥dia̯-, pages 79-84
^ Novák, Ľubomír (2013), Problem of Archaism and Innovation in the Eastern Iranian Languages (PhD dissertation)‎^[2], Prague: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, filozofická fakulta, page 184
^ Tavernier, Jan (2007), Iranica in the Achaemenid Period (ca. 550–330 B.C.): Lexicon of Old Iranian Proper Names and Loanwords, Attested in Non-Iranian Texts, Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, page 554: “Gr̥da-, “house””
^ Martirosyan, Hrach (2010), “gerdastan”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 209

[ESIJa-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Rastorgujeva, V. S.; Edelʹman, D. I. (2000–), “*gr̥da- ‘дом, жилище’”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 292-293: “др.-перс. *gr̥d(y)a- ‘раб, слуга’ ― dr.-pers. *gr̥d(y)a- ‘rab, sluga’”

[2] Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992–2001), “gṛhá”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 495: “*gr̥dya-”

[Bernard-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Bernard, Chams Benoît (2025), Lubotsky, Alexander, Kloekhorst, Alwin, Tijmen, Pronk, editors, Like dust on the Silk Road: an investigation of the earliest Iranian loanwords and of possible BMAC borrowings in Tocharian (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 27), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →DOI, →ISSN, § 2.4.4.3 TB kercci from OSIr. *gr̥dia̯-, pages 79-84

[4] Novák, Ľubomír (2013), Problem of Archaism and Innovation in the Eastern Iranian Languages (PhD dissertation)‎^[2], Prague: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, filozofická fakulta, page 184

[5] Tavernier, Jan (2007), Iranica in the Achaemenid Period (ca. 550–330 B.C.): Lexicon of Old Iranian Proper Names and Loanwords, Attested in Non-Iranian Texts, Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, page 554: “Gr̥da-, “house””

[6] Martirosyan, Hrach (2010), “gerdastan”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 209

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