Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ḱerh₂-

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

Potentially a collective derivation in *-h₂ from *ḱer- (“to grow”).[1] A possible loan relation with Proto-Semitic *ḳarn- (“horn”) has also been suggested. However, it is probably unrelated to Old Chinese 觡 (*kraːg, “antler”) and 觥 (*kʷraːŋ, “drinking vessel made of animal horn”) despite the phonological and semantic resemblance between the three.

Root

*ḱerh₂-

head, top
horn

Alternative reconstructions

*ḱer-[2][3]

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱerh₂-

*ḱérh₂-os ~ *ḱérh₂-es-[4]
- Proto-Hellenic: *kéras
  - Ancient Greek: κέρᾰς (kéras)
*ḱerh₂-o-now-os (literally “head nodding”)[5]
- Proto-Italic: *keronowos
  - Latin: cernuus
*ḱérh₂-s-ō ~ *ḱr̥h₂-s-né-s
*ḱerh₂-s-ro-m[6][7]
- Proto-Italic: *kerazrom
  - Latin: cerebrum (see there for further descendants)
*ḱórh₂-we-h₂ (collective)[8][9]
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *kárˀwāˀ
  - Lithuanian: kárvė
  - Proto-Slavic: *kòrva (see there for further descendants)
*ḱr(h₂)-ént-
- ⇒ *ḱrént-os ~ *ḱrn̥t-és-s[10]
  - Proto-Germanic: *hrinþaz, *hrunþaz (see there for further descendants)
*ḱŕ̥h₂-es-n-h₂ (collective)[11]
- Proto-Hellenic: *kárahna
  - Ancient Greek: κᾰ́ρηνον (kárēnon) (backformation from *kárahna)
    Doric: κᾰ́ρᾱνον (kárānon)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ćr̥Hšā
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *śr̥Hṣā
    - Vedic Sanskrit: शीर्षा (śīrṣā)
*ḱr̥h₂-nó-s[12][13][14][15]
- Proto-Celtic: *karnos
  - Proto-Brythonic: karn
    - Old Breton: carn
      - Breton: karn
    - Middle Welsh: carn
      - Welsh: carn
  - Gaulish: *carnon (“horn”), carnuātus (“horned”)
    - → Ancient Greek: κάρνον (kárnon, “Gallic horn”)
- Proto-Germanic: *hurną (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ćr̥Hngám
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *śr̥Hngám
    - Sanskrit: शृङ्ग (śṛṅgá, “horn, tusk”) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Italic: *kornū
  - >? Latin: cornū (see there for further descendants)
- ⇒ *ḱr̥h₂-néh₂
  - Proto-Balto-Slavic: *śírˀnāˀ
    - East Baltic:
      - Old Latvian: sirna
        Latvian: stir̃na
      - Lithuanian: stìrna
    - Proto-Slavic: *sь̀rna (see there for further descendants)
*ḱŕ̥h₂-os ~ *ḱŕ̥h₂-es-[6][16][17]
- Proto-Armenian:
  - Old Armenian: սար (sar, “tip, top; mountain”) (or borrowed from the Iranian cognate)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ćŕ̥Has (see there for further descendants)
*ḱŕ̥h₂-o-s
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ćŕ̥Has
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *śr̥Hás
    - Sanskrit: शिर (śira)
  - Proto-Iranian: *cr̥Háh
    - Avestan: 𐬯𐬁𐬭𐬀‎ (sāra), 𐬯𐬀𐬭𐬀‎ (sara)
*kr̥h₂-s-ḗr ~ *kr̥h₂-s-n-ós (“hornet”, literally “the one with horns, i.e. antennae”)[18][19][20][21]
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *śirˀšō (see there for further descendants)
  - Latgalian: šyršyns
  - Latvian: sir̂senis
  - Lithuanian: širšuo, šìršė
  - Proto-Slavic: *sьrxy (see there for further descendants)
    - → Proto-Finnic: *herhiläinen
- Proto-Germanic: *hurznutō (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Italic: *krāzrō
  - Latin: crābrō (see there for further descendants)
*ḱr̥h₂-wós, *ḱér-wo-s ~ *ḱr̥h₂-éw-os (“deer, stag”, literally “the horned one”)[22][23][24][25]
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *śirˀwas
  - Old Prussian: sirwis
  - → Proto-Finnic: *hirvas, *hirvi (see there for further descendants)
  - → Proto-Samic: *sërvēs, *sërvë (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Celtic: *karwos (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Hellenic: *kerawós
  - Ancient Greek: κερᾰός (keraós), κερᾱΐς (kerāḯs)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ćr̥Hwás (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Italic: *kerwos
  - Latin: cervus (see there for further descendants)
*ḱr-o-h₂-s-no-m[26]
- Proto-Albanian: *krōna
  - Albanian: krye
Unsorted formations:
- Anatolian:[1]
  - Hittite: [script needed] (karau̯ar), [script needed] (surna), [script needed] (harsar)
  - Luwian: [script needed] (zurni)
  - → Persian: سرنا‎ (sornâ) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Germanic: *herutaz (“deer, stag”) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Hellenic:
  - Ancient Greek: κάρυον (káruon)

References

Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), “^(SI)karāu̯ar / karaun”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 517-518
Pokorny, Julius (1959), “¹k̑er-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 574
Nussbaum, Alan J. (1986) Head and Horn in Indo-European‎, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “κέρας”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 676-677
De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “cernuus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 110-111
Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hersan- ~ *herzan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 221–222
De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “cerebrum”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 109
Derksen, Rick (2015), “karvė”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 230
Derksen, Rick (2008), “*kòrva”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 236
Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hrinþiz ~ *hrunþiz”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 247–248
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “κάρᾱ”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 641
Derksen, Rick (2008), “*sьrna”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 485
Derksen, Rick (2015), “stirna”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 428-429
Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*karno-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 190-191
Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hurna-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 259
Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999) The noun in Biblical Armenian: origin and word-formation: with special emphasis on the Indo-European heritage (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs; 119), Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, page 906
Martirosyan, Hrach (2010) Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 8), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 570–571
Derksen, Rick (2008), “*sьršenь”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 485-486
Derksen, Rick (2015), “širšuo”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 449-450
De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “crābrō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 140
Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*hurznuta/ō-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 259
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “κεραός”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 676
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “κερᾱΐς”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 674
Čong (Cheung), Dž. (2009), T. K. Salbijeva, transl., Očerki istoričeskovo razvitija osetinskovo vokalizma [Studies in the Historical Development of the Ossetic Vocalism] (in Russian), Vladikavkaz: Izdatelʹsko-poligrafičeskoje predprijatije im. V. Gassijeva, →ISBN, pages 22, 82, 177, 178, 320
Абаев, В. И. (1979) Историко-этимологический словарь осетинского языка [Historical-Etymological Dictionary of the Ossetian Language] (in Russian), volume III, Moscow, Leningrad: Academy Press, pages 179–181
Stefan Schumacher & Joachim Matzinger, Die Verben des Altalbanischen: Belegwörterbuch, Vorgeschichte und Etymologie (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 2013), 224.