*gel-

Reconstruction

LIV writes the root *g/g̑el- 'to freeze, be cold', leaving open whether it began with a plain velar or a palatal.^[1] De Vaan reconstructs the Latin noun with a palatal, *ǵel-u-,^[2] and Derksen says Latin gelū (“ice”) derives from *gel- or *ǵel- 'freeze'.^[3] Mallory and Adams give *gel- 'cold, to freeze' as a north-western word.^[4]

'To swallow' is LIV's 1.*gu̯el- 'to devour, swallow': see *gʷel-.^[5] 'Bright' belongs to Pokorny's *g^hel- 'to shine', with a palatal aspirate: see *ǵʰel-.^[6] Pokorny also set up a root *gel- 'to form into a ball, round', but he calls the evidence for the bare root rare and partly very uncertain.^[7]

Morphology

LIV's only formation is a possible e-reduplicated athematic present ?*g/g̑é-g/g̑ol/g/g̑l-, continued with loss of reduplication by Old Norse kala (“to become cold, freeze”); the impersonal Norse construction 'I am cold' may point to an original factitive.^[1] Germanic *kalda- (“cold”) is the old past participle of this strong verb.^[8] De Vaan derives the Germanic adjective from *ǵol-to-.^[2]

Evidence

Only Germanic has the verb, while Latin has the nouns and a denominative verb, Latin gelō (“to freeze”).^[1] Mallory and Adams list the root among regional words of the North-West.^[4] Greek γελανδρόν (gelandrón, “cold”), a gloss in Hesychius, is uncertain.^[2] Slavic *xȏldъ (“cold”) is perhaps cognate, but its *x- is unexplained;^[9] Kroonen calls it unrelated to the Germanic word, though suspiciously similar.^[8] Derksen finds a link of Slavic *golotь with Latin gelū semantically straightforward, against ESSJa, which connects it with *golъ 'naked'.^[3]

Meanings

1. to freeze, to be cold^[1][4]

Derivatives

• *ǵel-u- 'cold, frost, ice': Latin gelus (“cold, frost, ice”), with gelidus (“cold, icy”) and gelō (“to freeze”).^[2]
• Proto-Germanic *kalda- (“cold”), the past participle.^[8]

Reflexes

• Germanic: Old Norse kala (“to become cold, freeze”).^[1] Kroonen sets up the strong verb Proto-Germanic *kalan-.^[8]
• Italic: Latin gelus (“cold, frost, ice”).^[2]
• Slavic: Proto-Slavic *xȏldъ (“cold”), uncertain.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *g/g̑el-
2. ^ a b c d e 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. gelus
3. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 175
4. ^ a b c Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 347
5. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 1.*gu̯el-
6. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. ĝhel- 1
7. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. gel-1
8. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 278
9. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 203