*h₃reǵ-

Reconstruction

LIV sets up *h₃reg̑- "to straighten, stretch".^[1] Beekes and de Vaan write *h₃reǵ- "to stretch, direct",^[2][3] Matasović *h₃reǵ- "extend, stretch",^[4] Adams *h₃reĝ- "extend (linearly or over a surface)",^[5] and Chantraine *ə3r-eg-.^[6] Clackson gives the root as *reg′- "rule", sometimes written with initial *h₃-.^[7] LIV reports Olsen's view that it was originally the same root as *h₃rei̯g̑-, both from *h₃ri̯eg̑-.^[1]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a nasal-infix present *h₃r̥-né/n-g̑-, an acrodynamic root present *h₃rḗg̑-/h₃rég̑-, thematised in most branches from the subjunctive *h₃rég̑-e-, a sigmatic aorist *h₃rḗg̑/h₃rég̑-s- and a causative *h₃rog̑-éi̯e-.^[1] Clackson cites the root as an example of Narten ablaut: a strong stem *rēg′- in Sanskrit राष्टि (rā́ṣṭi, “rules”) and a weak *reg′- perhaps continued in Latin regō.^[7] Beekes pairs the aorist Ancient Greek ὀρέξαι (oréxai) with the Latin perfect, and Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós) with rēctus.^[2]

Evidence

LIV's list covers Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Greek, Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Baltic and Tocharian, eight branches, with no Anatolian form.^[1] Kümmel adds to the present Proto-Germanic *rek-a- Middle English reken (“to run, rush”) and an Old English preterite meaning "ran together, curdled", and so does not follow Seebold and Schumacher, who put them under *reg̑- "to flow".^[8] LIV notes that Proto-Indo-Iranian *rāj́- (“to rule”) should perhaps be kept apart from this root.^[1]

Competing analyses

LIV mentions the noun *h₃rēg̑- "ruler", in a Vedic root noun and in Latin rēx, whose existence in this sense, and so the reconstruction, Sihler and Scharfe dispute.^[1] Clackson finds it more likely that the rare Vedic root noun meant "strength, power", and that the Celtic and Latin words were abstracted from compounds.^[7] De Vaan reconstructs *h₃rēǵ-s, *h₃reǵ-m "ruler, king".^[9] LIV assigns Old Irish rigid (“stretches”) to *rei̯g̑-,^[1] where Matasović puts it under *h₃reǵ-.^[4]

Meanings

1. to straighten, to stretch out,^[1] to direct^[2][3]

LIV's Vedic and Avestan root presents, such as Sanskrit राष्टि (rā́ṣṭi), mean "rules", and Latin regō "to direct, guide".^[1] Watkins glossed the root "to move in a straight line", with derivatives meaning "to lead, rule".^[10]

Derivatives

• *h₃rēǵ-s "ruler, king": Latin rēx, Old Irish rí.^[9] The word Gothic 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (reiks) is a loan from Celtic.^[11]
• *h₃roǵ-o- "straight", in Old Norse rakr, beside *h₃rǵ-u- in Sanskrit.^[12]
• Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós) matches Latin rēctus, and Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts, “straight, right”) also belongs here.^[2]

Reflexes

• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit राजति (rā́jati, “rules; shines”), from LIV's list.^[1]
• Iranian: Avestan vi-rāzaiti (“rules”), from LIV's list.^[1]
• Greek: Ancient Greek ὀρέγω (orégō, “to stretch”).^[2]
• Italic: Latin regō (“to direct, guide”).^[3]
• Celtic: Old Irish rigid (“stretches”).^[4]
• Germanic: Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (rikan, “to heap up”), from LIV's list;^[1] Old High German recken (“to stretch, reach, explain”).^[12]
• Baltic: Lithuanian ręžti (“to stretch”).^[13]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B räk- (“to extend”).^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *h₃reg̑-
2. ^ a b c d e 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. ὀρέγω
3. ^ 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. regō
4. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 322
5. ^ a b Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 574
6. ^ Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck, p. 817
7. ^ a b c Clackson, James (2007), Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, Cambridge: CUP
8. ^ Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 47
9. ^ 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. rēx
10. ^ Watkins, Calvert (2000), "Indo-European Roots", appendix to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. s.v. reg-
11. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 412
12. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 403
13. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 395