Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/plōgaz
Proto-Germanic
Alternative forms
- *plōguz
Etymology
Mario Alinei[1] has proposed a borrowing from Proto-Celtic *ɸlowyos, *ɸlowyā (“rudder”)[2], itself from Proto-Indo-European *plówyos (“ship”), ultimately from the root *plew- (“to fly, flow, swim, float, run”). Compare Cornish lew (“rudder”), Old Irish luí (“rudder, tail”), Welsh llyw (“rudder, tail, leader, pilot”). Ancient Greek πλοῖον (ploîon) is derived from the same root formation. Compare furthermore Albanian plor or pluar (“prow, ploughshare, vomer bone”), supposedly from Ancient Greek πλώρη (plṓrē, “prow”), which should be from πρῷρα (prôira, “prow”), whence also prow.
Alinei also mentions the Latin plaumoratum (Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia 18.69), with the second element possibly relating to the family of Latin rota, Proto-Celtic *rotos and Proto-Germanic *raþą (“wheel”). Guus Kroonen has suggested a connection of the Germanic and the Latin words to *plehan (“to take responsibility, care”) (“to care for one’s life” > “to plow”); compare Old High German pfluog (“livelihood”) and Icelandic plógur, plóg (“profit”), which could nevertheless point as well to the opposite morpho-semantic evolution. Otherwise he proposes a connection with Proto-Germanic *plag/kkōn- (“rag, sod”), which seems a bit far-fetched.[3]
Inflection
masculine a-stemDeclension of *plōgaz (masculine a-stem) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | *plōgaz | *plōgōz, *plōgōs | |
vocative | *plōg | *plōgōz, *plōgōs | |
accusative | *plōgą | *plōganz | |
genitive | *plōgas, *plōgis | *plōgǫ̂ | |
dative | *plōgai | *plōgamaz | |
instrumental | *plōgō | *plōgamiz |
Descendants
References
- Alinei, Mario (2000), Origini delle lingue d’Europa, vol. 2, Bologna: Il Mulino, page 567 ff.
- Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*flowyo-, *flowyā”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 136
- Kroonen, Guus (2009), “plōga-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, consulted online.