*pṓds

Reconstruction

The word for 'foot' is a root noun,^[1] and Clackson cites *ped- 'foot' as a root of the basic shape *CeC-;^[2] LIV sets up the verbal root *ped- 'to tread'.^[3] Ringe gives the paradigm nominative *pṓds, accusative *pódm̥, genitive *pedés.^[4] Kroonen writes nominative *pṓd-s, genitive *pḗd-s, accusative *pód-m,^[5] and de Vaan nominative *pōd-s, accusative *po/ed-m, locative *ped-i, with a zero grade *pd-os.^[6] Kloekhorst sets up *pód- / pd-.^[7] Clackson's table of the traditional reconstruction has *pód-s, *pód-m, genitive *ped-ós, dative *ped-éi, nominative plural *pód-es and locative plural *péd-su.^[2]

Morphology

Clackson notes that the attested paradigms show a wealth of ablaut grades in one word, that most scholars now reconstruct a rather different paradigm, and that a zero grade *pd- is seen in some compounds.^[2] In the Handbook, *pód-s illustrates an *o-grade that occurs both accented and unaccented.^[8] Kapović notes that the stable length of the nominative is not clearly connected with monosyllabic lengthening.^[9] Rasmussen derives the long *o of the nominative from lengthening of an e-grade, which then also took o-colouring.^[10]

Evidence

Mallory and Adams list the word among the few cognates found in all the major Indo-European groups.^[11] It is found in Hittite pāt-, with Luwian and Lycian cognates, so it is secure in Anatolian.^[7] Most languages either kept the consonant stem or enlarged it.^[12] Germanic generalised the lengthened grade,^[5] and the Tocharian forms are built on an old dual.^[13] NIL cites the Vedic paradigm as showing quantitative root ablaut.^[14]

Competing analyses

Kroonen calls it a static root noun, as does Martirosyan, following Beekes, with nominative *pōd(s) against accusative and oblique *ped-.^[5][15] Kapović puts it in the amphidynamic type, *pōd-s with genitive *ped-e/os.^[16] Ringe asks whether the noun was originally acrostatic *pód- ~ *péd- and then moved to the alternating type, or whether an awkward oblique stem *pd- was replaced by *ped-.^[4]

Meanings

1. foot^[4][5][17]

Derivatives

• LIV's verbal root *ped- 'to tread; to fall, sink'.^[3] LIV explains 'fall' from 'set the foot down', following Rix.^[3]
• A thematic noun *pedom, in an Armenian word for 'track, footstep'.^[18] ALEW sets up *ped-o- 'belonging to the foot', with Hittite peda- (“place”) and Ancient Greek πέδον (pédon, “ground”).^[19]
• A vṛddhi adjective *pēd-ó- 'belonging to the foot', the base of Lithuanian pėdà (“foot, footprint”).^[20]
• *kʷetwor-pod- 'animal', literally 'four-footed'.^[21]

Reflexes

• Anatolian: Hittite pāt- (“foot, leg”).^[7]
• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit पात् (pā́t, “foot”).^[22]
• Iranian: Avestan pad- (“foot”), Old Persian pāda- (“foot”).^[23]
• Greek: Ancient Greek πούς (poús, “foot”), the Doric form πώς (pṓs).^[12]
• Italic: Latin pēs (“foot”).^[6]
• Celtic: Proto-Celtic *fod- (“foot”), with nominative *fād-s and genitive *fed-os.^[24]
• Germanic: Proto-Germanic *fōt- (“foot”), Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐍄𐌿𐍃 (fotus).^[5]
• Armenian: Martirosyan derives the singular for 'foot' from the accusative *pód-m̥, but prints it only in transliteration.^[15]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B paiyye (“foot”), built on an old dual.^[13]

References

1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011), Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd ed., revised by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam: Benjamins, p. 204
2. ^ a b c Clackson, James (2007), Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, Cambridge: CUP, p. ch. 3
3. ^ a b c Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *ped-
4. ^ a b c Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 152
6. ^ a b 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. pēs
7. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 653
8. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. ch. 122, Lundquist & Yates, p. 2133
9. ^ Kapović, Mate, ed. (2017), The Indo-European Languages, 2nd ed., London: Routledge, p. 55
10. ^ Rasmussen, Jens Elmegård (1999), Selected Papers on Indo-European Linguistics, 2 parts, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum
11. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 108
12. ^ a b 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. πούς
13. ^ a b Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 432
14. ^ Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 608
15. ^ a b Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 548
16. ^ Kapović, Mate, ed. (2017), The Indo-European Languages, 2nd ed., London: Routledge, p. 71
17. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 183
18. ^ Olsen, Birgit Anette (1999), The Noun in Biblical Armenian: Origin and Word-Formation, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 21
19. ^ Hock, Wolfgang, et al. (2015), Altlitauisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (ALEW), online and Hamburg: Baar, p. s.v. pėdà
20. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 1299
21. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 495
22. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 249
23. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1986–2001), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. pád-
24. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 139