Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/písdeh₂
Proto-Indo-European
Etymology
As suggested by Hamp 1968: from *h₁epi (“upon, by”) + *sed- (“to sit”), i.e. originally an euphemism meaning "what one sits on". Compare *nisdós (“nest”) < *ni (“down”) + *sed- (“to sit”).
Archaic formation, but with geographically limited distribution, only to central and eastern Indo-European dialects.
Reconstruction
If the analysis as a compound is correct, the word would start with otherwise unreconstructable initial laryngeal *h₁.
Diphthong in Old Prussian peisda (“ass”) would require PIE *(h₁)peysdeh₂, and other Baltic cognates are then according to Hamp later borrowings from Slavic. That explanation is favored by Kortlandt and Dybo, according to whom the operation of Winter's law was blocked in clusters containing *-st-/*-sd-.
Noun
*písdeh₂ f
- vulva
Inflection
Thematic in *-eh₂ | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | |||
nominative | *písdeh₂ | ||
genitive | *písdeh₂s | ||
singular | dual | plural | |
nominative | *písdeh₂ | *písdeh₂h₁(e) | *písdeh₂es |
vocative | *písdeh₂ | *písdeh₂h₁(e) | *písdeh₂es |
accusative | *písdām | *písdeh₂h₁(e) | *písdeh₂m̥s |
genitive | *písdeh₂s | *? | *písdeh₂oHom |
ablative | *písdeh₂s | *? | *písdeh₂mos |
dative | *písdeh₂ey | *? | *písdeh₂mos |
locative | *písdeh₂, *písdeh₂i | *? | *písdeh₂su |
instrumental | *písdeh₂h₁ | *? | *písdeh₂bʰi |
Descendants
- Albanian: pidh
- Balto-Slavic: *pīˀsdāˀ (long vowel by Winter's law) or *peisdā
- Slavic: *pizda
- Indo-Iranian: *pízdaH
- Iranian: *pízdaH
- Persian: پیزی (pīzī, “ass,anus”)
- Nuristani: pəṛī [Arabic needed] (< *pizdikā)
- Iranian: *pízdaH
Coordinate terms
- *putós (“vulva; anus”)
- *kuts(n)ós (“vulva; anus”)
- *péses (“penis”)
- *kápr̥ (“penis”)
- *h₃pusós (“shaft; penis”)
- *kuḱis (“vulva; female pubic hair”)
References
- Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., editors (1997) Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 507
- Hamp, Eric P. 1968, Albanian pidh: Slavic peizd'ā́, International Journal of Slavic Linguistics and Poetics 11, 25–26
- Kortlandt, Frederik (September 14-22 1988), Remarks on Winter's law (PDF), Studies in Slavic and General Linguistics: Dutch Contributions to the 10th International Congress of Slavists (Sofia) 11: 387–396
- Dybo, Vladimir (2002), Balto-Slavic Accentology And Winter's Law (PDF), Studia Linguarum (Moscow: RSUH Publishers) 3: 295–515,