*pótis

Reconstruction

The noun is *pótis in Mallory and Adams and in the Handbook,^[1][2] *potis in Beekes and Kapović,^[3][4] and *póti- or *pót-i- in the dictionaries.^[5][6][7][8] Kapović counts it among the roots found only with *o.^[9]

Morphology

It is an i-stem, which Kapović assigns to the amphidynamic type, with a weak suffix in every case, as in the genitive *pot-y-e/os of Ancient Greek πόσιος (pósios).^[10] Chantraine notes the old question whether a consonant stem *pot- stood beside *poti-, as Meillet and Benveniste held, against Szemerényi, who derived every form from *poti-.^[11]

It is often the second member of compounds: *déms pótis 'master of the house', with an archaic genitive of the word for 'house',^[12][3] *wik̂pots 'master of the clan',^[13] and *gʰost(i)-pot-, the source of Latin hospes and Proto-Slavic *gospodь.^[14]

Evidence

The noun is found in Indo-Iranian, Greek, Italic, Germanic, Baltic and Tocharian, and in Slavic only in a compound.^[5][14] Beekes and Kroonen cite no Anatolian cognate of the noun.^[5][7]

Competing analyses

Since Pedersen, the sense 'lord, husband' has often been derived from an older 'self', as in Lithuanian pàts (“self”), the particle Lithuanian pàt (“even”) and Hittite -pat.^[5] Benveniste argued this, and Szemerényi rejected it at length.^[5] Beekes adds that the Hittite particle probably comes from *-bʰod.^[5] Kroonen still lists the Hittite and Lithuanian words, and Avestan xᵛaē-paiti- (“himself”), as comparanda.^[7] Pokorny based his root on an uninflected particle meaning 'self'.^[15]

Meanings

1. master, lord,^[3][6][16] lord of the house^[5]
2. husband^[1][4][5]

Beekes describes it as the old name for the lord of the house and the husband.^[5] In Latin the noun became an adjective 'able, having the power' when used with the verb 'to be' and in compounds.^[6]

Derivatives

• The feminine *pot-nihₐ- 'mistress, lady',^[1] written *potnih₂ by Derksen, in Ancient Greek πότνια (pótnia, “lady, mistress”).^[17]
• A denominative verb *pótyetoi, in Latin potior (“I am master”) and in Avestan and Vedic verbs for 'to rule'.^[13]
• Latin possum (“I can”), from the adjective with the verb 'to be'.^[6][18] De Vaan derives Latin potēns (“powerful”) from the stative verb Proto-Italic *pot-ē- (“to be master”), also in Oscan pútíad (“may be able”).^[6]

Reflexes

• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit पति (páti, “master, owner, husband”).^[19][16]
• Iranian: Avestan paiti- (“lord, husband”).^[16]
• Greek: Ancient Greek πόσις (pósis, “husband, spouse”).^[5]
• Italic: Latin potis (“able, having the power”).^[6]
• Germanic: Proto-Germanic *fadi- (“lord”), in Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌸𐍆𐌰𐌸𐍃 (bruþfaþs, “bridegroom”).^[7]
• Baltic: Lithuanian pàts (“husband”), older patìs.^[8]
• Slavic: Proto-Slavic *gospodь (“lord, master”), whose *d Derksen calls unexplained.^[14]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B pets (“husband”), Tocharian A pats (“husband”).^[20]

References

1. ^ 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. 207
2. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. ch. 115, p. 1977
3. ^ a b c Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011), Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd ed., revised by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam: Benjamins, p. 39
4. ^ a b Kapović, Mate, ed. (2017), The Indo-European Languages, 2nd ed., London: Routledge, p. 40
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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. πόσις
6. ^ a b c d e f 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. potis
7. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 121
8. ^ a b Hock, Wolfgang, et al. (2015), Altlitauisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (ALEW), online and Hamburg: Baar, p. s.v. pàts
9. ^ Kapović, Mate, ed. (2017), The Indo-European Languages, 2nd ed., London: Routledge, p. 43
10. ^ Kapović, Mate, ed. (2017), The Indo-European Languages, 2nd ed., London: Routledge, p. 73
11. ^ 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. 931
12. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
13. ^ a b Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 268
14. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 180
15. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. poti-s
16. ^ a b c Mayrhofer, Manfred (1986–2001), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. páti-
17. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 359
18. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
19. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 200
20. ^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 431