*bʰel-

Reconstruction

Kroonen derives Proto-Germanic *ballan- (“ball”) from an unattested PIE verbal root *bʰel- "to swell up".^[1] Matasović gives *bʰel- "swell", with a query, following Pokorny.^[2]

Morphology

Kroonen reconstructs an old n-stem *bʰól-ōn, genitive *bʰl-n-ós, with *bʰl-no- in Greek and Celtic and *bʰol-ni- in Latin.^[1]

Evidence

The comparison rests on nouns for "ball, bag, penis" in Germanic, Greek, Latin and Celtic.^[1] Matasović calls the etymology rather speculative and says that few of the many forms Pokorny cites are related.^[2]

Competing analyses

Beekes calls *bhel- "blow (up), swell" hypothetical, and takes Greek φαλλός (phallós, “penis”) as Pre-Greek because of forms with initial beta and the variation between single and double lambda.^[3] De Vaan connects Latin follis only with Celtic, and gives it no further etymology.^[4] Pokorny set up several numbered roots *bhel-.^[5]

• Pokorny's root *bhel- "shining, white" is now *bʰēlH-o- in Derksen, for Proto-Slavic *bělъ (“white”); see *bʰelH-.^[5][6]
• "To bloom" is LIV's *bʰleh₃-, with Latin flōs (“flower”).^[7]
• "To blow" is under LIV's *bʰleh₁- "to howl", which includes Latin flō (“to blow”).^[8]
• "To swell" as a verb is LIV's *bʰelǵʰ-.^[9]
• Pokorny had a *bhel- "to sound, speak".^[10] For "to sound", LIV sets up a doubtful *bʰelH- "to sound, to boom", found only in Germanic and Balto-Slavic.^[11]

Meanings

1. to swell up^[1]

Derivatives

• *bʰol-on- in Proto-Germanic *ballan- (“ball”).^[1]
• Proto-Celtic *ballo- (“member, penis”).^[2]

Reflexes

• Greek: Ancient Greek φαλλός (phallós, “penis”), if not Pre-Greek.^[3]
• Italic: Latin follis, which de Vaan connects only with Celtic.^[4]
• Celtic: Old Irish ball (“member, penis”).^[2]
• Germanic: Old Norse bǫllr (“ball”).^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 50
2. ^ a b c d Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 53
3. ^ 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. φαλλός
4. ^ 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. follis
5. ^ a b Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. bhel-1
6. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 40
7. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *bʰleh₃-
8. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *bʰleh₁-
9. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *bʰelg̑ʰ-
10. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. bhel-6
11. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *bʰelH-