*wed-

Reconstruction

LIV writes the root *u̯ed- 'to gush forth, to well up',^[1] and NIL sets up the same verb but marks it as a questionable root.^[2] Smoczyński has *u̯ed- 'to gush, of water; to wet',^[3] and Kroonen refers to the root as *wed- 'to be wet'.^[4]

Morphology

The only verb LIV reconstructs is a nasal-infix present *u-né/n-d-, in Vedic उनत्ति (unátti, “moistens”), with factitive meaning; the Atharvavedic perfect Sanskrit ऊदुः (ūdur) is an innovation.^[1] LIV suggests that traces of the nasal present may survive in nouns such as Latin unda (“wave”) and Old Prussian unds (“water”),^[1] and Weiss reports that some scholars derive the n of unda and Lithuanian vanduõ from it.^[5] Kroonen rejects this, deriving unda from *ud-neh₂-,^[4] and Derksen derives the Balto-Slavic nasal from a suffix.^[6]

Evidence

As a verb the root survives only in Indo-Iranian, but the noun *u̯ód-r̥ 'water' is widespread.^[1] Its derivatives are cited below from Anatolian, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Italic, Germanic, Slavic, Baltic, Armenian and Tocharian.^[7][6][8][9]

Competing analyses

Kloekhorst reports that it is disputed whether the root of Hittite utnē (“land”) and Armenian գետին (getin, “ground”) is the same as that of 'water', and that a connection with Greek οὖδας (oûdas, “ground”) would require *h₃ued-.^[10] Kroonen, following Lubotsky, derives a root *ueH- 'water' from *ued-, since *-dr regularly became *-h₁r in early PIE.^[11]

The root 'to speak' is a different one, *h₂u̯ed- in Kölligan's lexicon of PIE, *h₂wed-.^[12]

Meanings

1. to gush forth, to well up,^[1][2] to gush, of water^[3]
2. to wet,^[3] to be wet^[4]

In Vedic the nasal present is factitive, 'to moisten', and intransitive only once in the Rigveda.^[1]

Derivatives

• *u̯ód-r̥, *ud-én- 'water', *wódr̥.^[7][1]
• *ud-r-o-, *ud-r-eh₂- 'otter', continued in Proto-Germanic *utra-.^[11]
• *u̯ed-os- 'water', in Armenian գետ (get, “river”) and Greek ὕδος (húdos).^[8]
• *uēd-o- 'wet', in Proto-Germanic *wēta-.^[13]
• *wēdu-, in Tocharian B yot (“vital fluid, broth”).^[9]

Reflexes

• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit उनत्ति (unátti, “moistens”), as listed by LIV.^[1]
• Anatolian: Hittite u̯ātar (“water”).^[7]
• Greek: Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”).^[14]
• Italic: Latin unda (“wave, running water”).^[15]
• Germanic: Proto-Germanic *watar- (“water”), Proto-Germanic *wēta- (“wet”).^[16][13]
• Slavic: Old Church Slavonic вода (voda, “water”).^[17]
• Baltic: Lithuanian vanduõ (“water”).^[6]
• Armenian: Old Armenian գետ (get, “river”).^[8]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B yot (“vital fluid, broth”).^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *u̯ed-
2. ^ a b Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *u̯ed-
3. ^ a b c Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 2089
4. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 588
5. ^ Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
6. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 502
7. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 987
8. ^ a b c Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 219
9. ^ a b c Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 554
10. ^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 933
11. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 562
12. ^ 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. 2252, ch. 124, Kölligan
13. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 583
14. ^ 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. ὕδωρ
15. ^ 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. unda
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 575
17. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 523