*terh₂-

Reconstruction

LIV sets up *terh₂- "to get through, cross over", with *h₂ supported by Ancient Greek τρᾱνής (trānḗs, “piercing, clear”) and by Hittite.^[1] Kloekhorst, Matasović and Adams give the same root.^[2][3][4]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *térh₂-/tr̥h₂-; an amphidynamic u-present *térh₂/tr̥h₂-u- in Hittite tarḫu- (“to prevail, be able”) and Sanskrit तूर्वति (tū́rvati, “overcomes”); a doubtful reduplicated present ?*ti-térh₂/tr̥h₂-; a thematic present *térh₂-e- in Sanskrit तरति (tárati, “crosses, overcomes”) and Hittite tarratta (“can”); and a doubtful perfect, with a causative and other presents as later formations.^[1] Kloekhorst reconstructs the u-verb of Hittite as *terh₂-u-ti, *trh₂-u-enti.^[5]

Evidence

Kümmel strikes LIV's Hittite root aorist ⟨tar(a)ḫ-⟩: the spelling ⟨tar-aḫ-⟩ can be read ⟨tar-uḫ-⟩, so there is no clear evidence for ⟨tarḫ-⟩, and the verb is /tarhhʷ-/ from *terh₂u-, following Kloekhorst.^[6] He adds Old Irish trá (“then, however”), Middle Welsh traws (“opposite”), which Schumacher equates with Latin trāns (“across, through”), and Tocharian B cirār (“crossed”) to the aorist.^[6] Kloekhorst and Pronk hold that the unextended verb survives only in Indo-Iranian, where it is transitive, "to cross something".^[7] Six branches are cited here, Anatolian and Tocharian among them.^[5][4]

Competing analyses

LIV derives trāns from a participle *tr̥h₂-n̥t-,^[1] de Vaan from *trh₂-nt-s "crossing",^[8] and Kloekhorst and Pronk from *trh₂ns "crossed over, gone through", with a suffix *-ens-.^[7] The root for "to rub" is *terh₁-, which LIV glosses "to drill, rub".^[9]

Meanings

1. to get through, to cross over,^[1] to traverse^[3]

The u-present *terh₂-u- meant "to prevail, overcome".^[7] Kümmel takes the Luwian name of the storm god, Cuneiform Luwian tarhu(wa)nt-, as an old participle of it.^[6]

Derivatives

• *trh₂-es, in Old Irish tar (“across”); Sanskrit तिरस् (tirás, “across”) is cognate.^[10]
• Proto-Celtic *trātu- (“length of time, hour”), in Old Irish tráth.^[3]
• *trh₂-nt-s "crossing", in Latin trāns (“across, through”).^[8]

Reflexes

• Anatolian: Hittite tarḫu- (“to prevail, conquer, be able”).^[5]
• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit तरति (tárati, “crosses, overcomes”), cited by LIV.^[1]
• Greek: Ancient Greek τρᾱνής (trānḗs, “piercing, clear”), cited by LIV.^[1]
• Italic: Latin trāns (“across, through”).^[8]
• Celtic: Proto-Celtic *taras (“across”), Old Irish tar (“across”).^[10]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B tär- (“radiate, spread out”), probably.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *terh₂-
2. ^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 832
3. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 399
4. ^ a b c Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 310
5. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 835
6. ^ a b c Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 90
7. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin; Pronk, Tijmen, eds. (2019), The Precursors of Proto-Indo-European, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ 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. trāns
9. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *terh₁-
10. ^ a b Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 381