*bʰeydʰ-

Reconstruction

LIV and NIL write the root *bʰei̯dʰ-, both with the sense 'to entrust oneself, to come to trust'.^[1][2] Ringe writes *bheydh- 'to trust',^[3] and Beekes's handbook *bʰeidʰ-, which it uses as a model of the normal ablaut series.^[4] Mallory and Adams set up *bheidh- 'persuade, compel, confide' as a West Central word.^[5] Beekes's Greek dictionary heads the article with the zero grade *bhidh- 'convince, trust'.^[6]

Pokorny's second *bheidh- 'to bind, plait', which he referred to *bhidh-, is not this root.^[7] Mallory and Adams also list a separate *bheidh- 'bend', otherwise unattested, as a possible base of the North-West word *bhidh- 'large pot'.^[8]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *bʰéi̯dʰ-/bʰidʰ-, seen in Ancient Greek ἐπιθόμην (epithómēn, “obeyed”), and a nasal-infix present *bʰi-né/n-dʰ-, continued in Albanian bind (“convinces, persuades”).^[1] The full-grade thematic present *bʰéi̯dʰ-e- gives the Greek present 'I obey', Latin fīdō (“to trust”) and perhaps Gothic 𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (beidan, “to wait”).^[1] The causative-iterative *bʰoi̯dʰ-éi̯e- is seen in Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (baidjan, “to force”) and Old Church Slavonic бѣдити (běditi, “to force”), and the perfect *bʰe-bʰói̯dʰ/bʰidʰ- in Ancient Greek πέποιθα (pépoitha, “I trust”).^[1] The Homeric reduplicated aorist and the s-aorist of Ancient Greek πείθω (peíthō, “I persuade”) are Greek innovations, and this active replaced the lost nasal present.^[1] Ringe gives the thematic present *bhéydh-e/o- and its stative perfect as one of four plausible inherited stative perfects that were reinterpreted as resultatives.^[3]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Greek, Italic, Albanian and Slavic, and probably in Germanic.^[6][9] No Indo-Iranian, Anatolian or Tocharian form is listed by LIV, Beekes or de Vaan.^[1][6][9]

Competing analyses

LIV finds the sense of Gothic 𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (beidan, “to wait”) unclear, perhaps 'to expect' from 'to trust in something to come' as Benveniste proposed.^[1] Seebold separates it on semantic grounds, but LIV notes that the Germanic verb would then have no etymology.^[1] De Vaan includes the Gothic verbs only with "maybe", Beekes with "probably".^[9][6] Kroonen takes the Germanic causative's 'to force' as older than the Greek and Latin senses, which he explains from the medio-passive, 'to be persuaded' becoming 'to confide in'.^[10] Derksen holds that Old Church Slavonic бѣдити (běditi, “to force, persuade”) and Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (baidjan, “to force”) cannot belong to different roots.^[11] He notes that Lithuanian bėdà (“misfortune, trouble”) may be old and connected instead with Sanskrit बाधते (bā́dhate, “oppresses”), which would force a choice between calling the Baltic words Slavic loans or separating them from the Slavic ones.^[12] Sihler notes that the reflexes of *bheydh-, *bhewdh- and *gʷhedh- became partly confused in Germanic, in form and in sense.^[13]

Meanings

1. to entrust oneself, to come to trust,^[1] to trust^[9][3]
2. to persuade, to compel,^[5] to force^[10]

LIV places the basic sense in a relation between two parties: one entrusts itself to the other, handing over responsibility and command and obeying, while the other takes them on.^[1] Kroonen reverses the order and starts from 'to force'.^[10]

Derivatives

• *bʰidʰ-tó-, in Ancient Greek πιστός (pistós, “trustworthy”) and Latin fīsus (“trusted”).^[2][3]
• *bʰidʰ-ti-, in Ancient Greek πίστις (pístis, “trust, faith”).^[2]
• *bheidh-o- 'faithful', in Latin fīdus, and *bhidh-eh₁- 'faith', in Latin fidēs.^[9]
• *bʰoidʰ-eh₂, in Old Church Slavonic бѣда (běda, “distress, need”) and Albanian be (“oath”).^[14][2]
• *bʰoidʰ-éie-, the causative, in Germanic *baidjan- 'to force, demand' and Slavic *běditi.^[10][11]

Reflexes

• Greek: Ancient Greek πείθομαι (peíthomai, “to be convinced, to obey”), Ancient Greek πέποιθα (pépoitha, “I trust”).^[6]
• Italic: Latin fīdō (“to trust”), Latin fidēs (“trust, guarantee”), Latin foedus (“treaty”).^[9]
• Albanian: Albanian bē (“oath”), Albanian besë (“faith”), Albanian bindem (“to be convinced, believe”).^[6][15]
• Germanic: Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (baidjan, “to force”), Old Norse beiða (“to ask, request”), Old English bǣdan (“to demand, to force”).^[10]
• Slavic: Old Church Slavonic бѣдити (běditi, “to force, persuade”), Old Church Slavonic бѣда (běda, “distress, need, necessity”).^[16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *bʰei̯dʰ-
2. ^ a b c d Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *bʰei̯dʰ-
3. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011), Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd ed., revised by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam: Benjamins, p. 174
5. ^ a b Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 467
6. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. πείθομαι
7. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. bheidh-2
8. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 240
9. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. fīdō
10. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 47
11. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 39
12. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 99
13. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
14. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 38
15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (1998), Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden / Boston / Köln: Brill, p. s.v. besë
16. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 38–39