*gʷelh₁-

Reconstruction

The root is *gʷelh₁- in LIV,^[1] Beekes,^[2] Matasović,^[3] and Mallory and Adams;^[4] Sihler writes *gʷelH₁-.^[5] Zair notes that the usual full grade of the root seems to be *gʷelh₁-.^[6] Arcadian ζέλλω (zéllō) and Ancient Greek δέλλω (déllō) show that the root began with a labiovelar.^[2]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *gʷélh₁-/gʷl̥h₁-, a nasal-infix present *gʷl̥-né/n-h₁- and possibly a reduplicated desiderative; the s-aorist of Old Irish and the perfect of Greek are innovations.^[1] Sihler gives the nasal present as *gʷl̥-né-H₁-mi 'I throw'.^[5] Beekes derives the full grade of Arcadian δέλλω (déllō) from an old root aorist *h₁e-gʷelh₁-t and Greek ἔβαλον (ébalon) from its zero grade, third plural *gʷlh₁-o-nt.^[2] De Vaan reconstructs an i̯e-present *gʷelh₁-ie/o- for Latin.^[7]

Evidence

Only Greek is secure.^[2] Beekes remarks that this seemingly old verb has no certain cognates, and calls the Tocharian, Sanskrit and Old Irish comparisons highly uncertain, against LIV.^[2] LIV finds the supposed Indo-Iranian reflexes doubtful: an Avestan form probably belongs to *gʷʰen-.^[1] Matasović derives the Old Irish verb from it, and lists Tocharian B klā- (“to fall”) as perhaps related.^[3] Martirosyan connects an Armenian word for 'wound', if the Greek forms belong with it.^[8]

Competing analyses

De Vaan derives Latin volō (“to fly”) from this root, with an original meaning 'to raise the arm' that could have shifted to 'fly' of birds, a connection that Walde–Hofmann rejected.^[7] Beekes keeps the root apart from the Sanskrit and Old High German verbs for dripping and welling up, which belong to another root in LIV.^[2]

Meanings

1. to hit, to throw;^[1] to hit by throwing^[2]

LIV explains its two glosses as one sense: the root meant 'to hit by a throw', and 'to throw' belongs to the terminative present.^[1] The Celtic verb means 'to die', explained as 'throws it [life] away', a euphemism.^[1][3]

Derivatives

• Greek βέλεμνον (bélemnon, “arrow, javelin”), from *gʷélh₁-mn̥h₂.^[1][2]
• Greek βλῆμα (blêma, “throw, hit”), from the zero grade or remade by analogy.^[6]

Reflexes

• Greek: Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō, “to throw, hit”).^[2]
• Celtic: Old Irish at·baill (“dies”), from Proto-Celtic *bal-ni- (“throw away, die”).^[3]
• Italic: Latin volō (“to fly”), if de Vaan's derivation is right.^[7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *gʷelh₁-
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. βάλλω
3. ^ a b c d Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 53
4. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 389
5. ^ a b Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
6. ^ a b Zair, Nicholas (2012), The Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 114
7. ^ a b c 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. volō
8. ^ Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 371