*deh₃-

Reconstruction

LIV sets up *deh₃- "to give",^[1] and NIL *deh₃- with the same meaning.^[2] Kümmel's addenda head the root "to take; to give".^[3] Beekes writes *deh₃-/dh₃-,^[4] and Derksen the root *deh₃- with the present *didh₃-.^[5]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *déh₃-/dh₃-, an e-reduplicated present *dé-doh₃/dh₃- and, with doubt, a desiderative *di-dh₃-sé-; the perfects of Indo-Iranian, Greek and Latin it counts as innovations.^[1] Beekes notes that Ancient Greek δίδωμι (dídōmi) has i-reduplication, like Italic, and that the k-aorist, with its -κ- taken from Ancient Greek ἔθηκα (éthēka), replaced the root aorist.^[4] De Vaan derives the imperative Latin cedo (“give!”) from an aorist imperative *deh₃, plural *dh₃-te.^[6]

Kümmel's addenda move Old Irish do·rat(a)i (“can give”) from the present to the aorist, and add the imperative Tocharian B petso (“give!”), from *pó-dh₃- after Hackstein.^[3] They report Hackstein's view that the old second singular *déh₃ became the Tocharian affirmative particle, -tsa and Tocharian A -a-ts, and add that the Celtiberian forms may instead belong to *dʰeh₁- or have merged with it, after Schumacher.^[3]

Evidence

LIV's list covers Anatolian, Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Armenian, Greek, Italic, Celtic, Baltic, Slavic and Albanian,^[1] and Kümmel adds Tocharian.^[3] In Iranian the root largely fell together with *dʰeh₁-.^[1]

Competing analyses

The verb Hittite dā- (“to take”) means "take", not "give".^[7] Hrozný connected it with *deh₃-; the meaning has been criticised, but the form is generally accepted.^[7] LIV, after Eichner and Oettinger, takes the Hittite verb as originally middle, "to give oneself", like a Vedic middle meaning "to take".^[1] Kloekhorst finds such scenarios unattractive, as he knows of no other PIE middle that became a Hittite active.^[7]

Meanings

1. to give^[1][2][3]
2. to take^[3]

"To give" is the meaning outside Anatolian, where the verb means "to take".^[1][7]

Derivatives

• *dh₃-to-: Ancient Greek δοτός (dotós), Latin datus, with Sanskrit cognates.^[4]
• *dē̆/ō̆h₃-t-: Latin dōs (“endowment”).^[8]
• *doh₃-mon-: Sanskrit दामन् (dāmán).^[2]

Reflexes

• Anatolian: Hittite dā- (“to take”).^[7]
• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit अदात् (ádāt, “has given”), from LIV's list.^[1]
• Iranian: Avestan dātā (“give!”), from LIV's list.^[1]
• Armenian: Old Armenian տամ (tam, “to give”).^[9]
• Greek: Ancient Greek δίδωμι (dídōmi, “to give”).^[4]
• Italic: Latin dō (“to give”).^[8]
• Celtic: Old Irish do-rat (“has given”).^[10]
• Baltic: Lithuanian dúoti (“to give”).^[11]
• Slavic: Old Church Slavonic дати (dati, “to give”).^[5]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B pete (“give!”).^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *deh₃-
2. ^ a b c Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *deh₃-
3. ^ a b c d e f Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 17
4. ^ a b c d 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. δίδωμι
5. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 96
6. ^ 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. cedo
7. ^ a b c d e Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 803
8. ^ 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. dō
9. ^ Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 609
10. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 87
11. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 386
12. ^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 106