*ḱers-

Reconstruction

LIV sets up the root as *k/k̑ers- 'to run', leaving open whether it began with a plain or a palatal velar.^[1] Kümmel's addenda decide for the palatal, *k̑ers-, because of Cuneiform Luwian zaršiya- (“safe conduct”), following Rieken.^[2] In Luwian the voiceless palatals became affricates before front vowels, yod, syllabic resonants and w, while the plain velars stayed, as in Cuneiform Luwian kars- (“to cut”) from *kers-.^[3] Mallory and Adams write *k̂ers- 'run',^[4] de Vaan *kers- 'to run',^[5] and Beekes cites the zero grade as *kr̥s- 'walk'.^[6]

LIV's 2.*kers- 'to cut (off)' keeps its plain velar, and Kümmel renumbers it as the only *kers-: see *kers-.^[7] LIV also keeps *(s)kers- 'to scratch, to card wool' apart from 'to cut' on semantic grounds: see *(s)kers-.^[8]

Morphology

LIV's only verbal formation is a zero-grade thematic present *k/k̑r̥s-é-, continued by Latin currō (“to run”).^[1] The Latin reduplicated perfect is an innovation.^[1] Meiser notes that the Latin verb has zero grade in the root, against the full grade of the normal thematic presents.^[9] De Vaan takes the older perfect, with e in the reduplication, from a perfect *ke-kors-ai, later assimilated in its vowel.^[10] Nominally the root forms an o-stem *kr̥s-o- 'running', whence 'chariot'.^[10]

Evidence

Only Latin has a verb, which de Vaan finds "somewhat troublesome".^[10] Since currō is a primary formation, he holds that it cannot come from the noun and must be old.^[10] Nouns and adjectives are cited below from Greek, Celtic, Tocharian and Anatolian, and perhaps from Germanic, six branches in all.^{[6][11][12][2][13]} Neither LIV nor the branch dictionaries cited here give an Indo-Iranian form.^[1] For Baltic, Smoczyński compares Lithuanian ker̃šti (“to get angry”) with this root as a possibility,^[14] but Derksen rejects Smoczyński's link of Lithuanian karštas (“hot, quick-tempered”) with the root of the Latin verb.^[15]

Competing analyses

Beekes counts the Hesychian gloss Ancient Greek σάρσαι (sársai, “wagons”) as perhaps related, as an Illyrian word.^[6] Hilmarsson, taking the Celtic words as loans from Latin carrus, reconstructs *kʷers- for the Tocharian word for 'league'.^[12] Adams reports this without following it.^[12]

The Germanic word for 'horse', Proto-Germanic *hursa-, has been derived from the verb Proto-Germanic *hurzōn- (“to rush”), akin to Latin currō.^[13] Kroonen finds this attractive because Old Irish carr contains the same root, but he also cites the view that the word was borrowed from the Alans.^[13] De Vaan accepts the Germanic words only if they go back to *hursa-, not *hrusa-.^[10]

Meanings

1. to run, to walk^[1][2][6]

Derivatives

• *kr̥s-o- 'running', whence 'chariot': Latin currus (“chariot”), Old Irish carr (“vehicle”) and Welsh car, from Proto-Celtic *krso-.^[10]
• Greek ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros, “helper”), probably for *ἐπίκορσος, from a lost verb matching currō.^[6]
• Latin arcessō (“to summon, send for”), from Proto-Italic *kers-s-e/o-.^[5]
• Tocharian B kwarsär (“league”), as if from *k̑r̥s-r-u- 'a distance of running'.^[12]

Reflexes

• Italic: Latin currō (“to run”).^[10]
• Greek: Ancient Greek ἐπίκουρος (epíkouros, “helper”).^[6]
• Celtic: Old Irish carr (“vehicle”), from the zero grade of the root.^[11][10]
• Germanic: perhaps Proto-Germanic *hursa- (“horse”).^[13]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B kwarsär (“league”), Tocharian A kursär.^[12]
• Anatolian: Cuneiform Luwian zaršiya- (“safe conduct”).^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 1.*k/k̑ers-
2. ^ a b c d Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 51
3. ^ Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave, p. 38
4. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 398
5. ^ 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. arcessō
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. ἐπίκουρος
7. ^ Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 55
8. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 2.*kers-
9. ^ Meiser, Gerhard (2010), Historische Laut- und Formenlehre der lateinischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Darmstadt: WBG, p. 221
10. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. currō
11. ^ a b Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 198
12. ^ a b c d e Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 253
13. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 259
14. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 734
15. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 242