Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/ṗer-

This Proto-Kartvelian entry contains reconstructed words 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-Kartvelian

Etymology

Somehow similar to Proto-Indo-European *pal- (“to fly”), which is contained in Latin pāpiliō (“butterfly”). With an analogous semantic development, this root can be reconstructed in Georgian and Zan only through its reduplicated form, Proto-Kartvelian *ṗerṗer-, also meaning “butterfly”.

According to Klimov (1998: 149), ultimately of onomatopeic origin.

Fähnrich (2007: 425) gives a separate etymology for Georgian ფრთე (prte, “wing”), ფრენა (prena, “flight”) and მფრინველი (mprinveli, “bird”), and reconstructs rather Proto-Kartvelian *par- (“to fly”). It should be noted that the first term has also the doublet Georgian ბრთე (brte).

Root

*ṗer-

to fly

Descendants

Svan: ლიპერ (liṗer, “to fly”), ნეპრ (neṗr, “bird”)

Derived terms

*ṗerṗer- (“butterfly”) (see there for further descendants)

References

Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 330-331
Klimov, G. A. (1998) Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages (Trends in linguistics. Documentation; 16), New York, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, page 149
Starostin, S. A. (2005), “*par- / *ṗar-”, in Kartvelian etymological database compiled on the basis of G. Klimov's and Fähnrich-Sarjveladze's etymological dictionaries of Kartvelian languages
De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 444