*preḱ-

Reconstruction

The root is *prek̑- "to ask" in LIV,^[1] and *preḱ- in Ringe, de Vaan and Matasović.^[2][3][4] LIV regards a full grade *perk̑- as a back-formation of the individual languages from the zero grade; only *prek̑- is old.^[1]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs an s-aorist *prḗk̑/prék̑-s-, a sk̑é-present *pr̥k̑-sk̑é- and an iterative *prok̑-éi̯e-, and with question marks a root aorist; the Gothic nasal present, the Tocharian se-present and the perfects are innovations.^[1] The sk̑é-present was probably simplified to *pr̥sk̑é- already in PIE, according to LIV,^[1] and Ringe gives *pr̥sḱé-ti "keeps asking" from underlying */pr̥ḱ-sḱé/ó-/.^[2] Matasović also allows that the dissimilation was perhaps of PIE date.^[4] Jasanoff suggests that *prek̑- first formed a Narten s-present *prḗk̑-s-mi, which the newer *pr̥(k̑)-sk̑é/ó- displaced, so that the old present could survive as a preterite or aorist.^[5]

Evidence

Reflexes are cited below from Indo-Aryan, Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Baltic, Slavic and Tocharian.^[1] Anatolian has no form in LIV's list.^[1]

Meanings

1. to ask^[1][6]

The sense "to woo for someone" of Lithuanian peršù and "to beg, demand" of the iterative are branch developments.^[1] LIV sets up a separate root *preK- "to be afraid", attested only in Tocharian and Gothic.^[7]

Derivatives

• The root noun *preḱ- "question", in Latin prex.^[3]
• *proḱ-o- "who asks", in Latin procus (“suitor”).^[8]
• *prék-ne-, in Proto-Germanic *frehnan-.^[9]

Reflexes

• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit पृच्छति (pr̥ccháti, “asks”).^[10]
• Italic: Latin poscō (“to ask, demand”).^[6]
• Celtic: Proto-Celtic *far-sko- (“to ask, plead”), in Old Irish arcaid.^[4]
• Germanic: Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌽 (fraihnan, “to ask a question”).^[9]
• Baltic: Lithuanian prašýti (“to ask, demand”).^[11][9]
• Slavic: Old Church Slavonic просити (prositi, “to ask”).^[12]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B pärk- (“to ask, question; to ask for, beg”).^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *prek̑-
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ 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. prex
4. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 128
5. ^ Jasanoff, Jay H. (2003), Hittite and the Indo-European Verb, Oxford: OUP, p. 193
6. ^ 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. poscō
7. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *preK-
8. ^ 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. procus
9. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 154
10. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 329
11. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 1409
12. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 421
13. ^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 398