*wes-

*wes-¹ to be dressed

Reconstruction

LIV's first root of this shape is *u̯es- '(of clothing) to have on, to be dressed in'.^[1] Kölligan's chapter on the lexicon of PIE gives it as *u̯es- 'wear', citing LIV.^[6] Adams has *wes- 'be dressed, wear, get dressed',^[4] Martirosyan *ues- 'to be dressed',^[7] and Beekes *ues-.^[8]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a full-grade root stative *u̯és-.^[1] Apart from Vedic अवस्रन् (avasran), it is attested only with middle endings *-to, *-nto, but LIV takes both the meaning and the ablaut as signs of an old stative.^[1] Kloekhorst equates the Hittite middle u̯ešta with Sanskrit वस्ते (váste), Gathic Avestan vastē and Greek εἶται (eîtai), all from *ués-to, and the third person plural Hittite u̯eššanta with Sanskrit वसते (vásate) and Ancient Greek εἶνται (eîntai) from *ués-nto.^[9]

LIV adds a sigmatic aorist ?*u̯ḗs/u̯és-s- in Armenian, Greek ἕσσαι (héssai) and Tocharian B wässāte (“put on”), though in Armenian and Greek it may be a new formation to the nu-present.^[1] The causative-iterative *u̯os-éi̯e- 'to clothe someone' is reconstructed from Hittite wassezzi, Vedic वासयति (vāsáyati), Old English werian and Albanian vesh.^[1][6] The nu-present of Armenian զգենում (z-genowm) and Greek ἕννυμι (hénnumi), the sḱe-present Tocharian B yäskeṃträ and the Vedic perfect वावसे (vāvase) are innovations.^[1] Beekes derives ἕννυμι from *ϝέσ-νυ-μι and takes it as identical with the Armenian verb.^[8]

Evidence

The root is found in eight branches: Anatolian, Indo-Iranian, Greek, Armenian, Albanian, Germanic, Italic and Tocharian.^[1][10] Both Anatolian and Tocharian attest the verb.^[9][4]

Competing analyses

The Hittite active forms u̯aššezzi, Hittite u̯aššanzi 'dresses someone' are disputed: Eichner and Melchert derive them from the causative *uos-éie-, Oettinger from a thematic *uós-e-ti, and Kloekhorst rejects both.^[9] LIV follows Melchert against Oettinger.^[1] de Vaan cites Kloekhorst for a zero-grade present *us-ié-ti behind the active.^[10] Beekes suggests that the Greek perfect forms such as εἷμαι (heîmai) may be reinterpreted old presents.^[8]

Meanings

1. to have on, to be dressed in,^[1] to wear^[6][4]

LIV's gloss is that of the stative;^[1] 'to clothe someone' is the meaning of the causative *u̯os-éi̯e-.^[1] Kölligan treats a noun *u̯esp- 'garment, enshrouding' as probably related.^[11]

Derivatives

• *u̯os-éi̯e- 'to clothe', continued in Proto-Germanic *wazjan- (“to dress”).^[12]
• *ues-ti- 'clothes', in Latin vestis.^[10] Armenian զգեստ (z-gest) points to *ues-tu- and *ues-ti(h₂)-.^[7]
• *u̯es-mn- in Ancient Greek εἷμα (heîma), which Beekes equates with Sanskrit वस्मन् (vásman-) 'cloth'.^[10][8]
• *wēst-i- in Tocharian B yesti (“garment”), in Adams's analysis.^[13]

Reflexes

• Anatolian: Hittite u̯ešš- (“to be dressed, to wear”).^[9]
• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit वस्ते (váste, “has on, is clothed”).^[14]
• Iranian: Avestan vastē (“is dressed”).^[15]
• Greek: Ancient Greek ἕννυμι (hénnumi, “to clothe, to put on”).^[8]
• Armenian: Old Armenian զգենում (z-genum, “to put on clothes”).^[7]
• Albanian: Albanian vesh (“to dress, to clothe”).^[16]
• Germanic: Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wasjan, “to dress”), Old English werian (“to dress”).^[12]
• Italic: Latin vestis (“clothes”).^[10]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B wäs- (“to wear, to put on”).^[4]

*wes-² to buy, to sell

Reconstruction

LIV's second root of this shape is *u̯es- 'to buy, to sell'.^[2] Kloekhorst reconstructs the Hittite verb as *uós-ei / *us-énti,^[17] and Beekes as *uos-e-i.^[18]

Morphology

LIV sets up a root aorist ?*u̯és-/us-, with a query, for Tocharian B wasa (“gave”), and a perfect *u̯e-u̯ós/u̯s- for Hittite wāsi.^[2] Kloekhorst shows from the oldest forms, Hittite u̯āši and Hittite u̯āšten, that the Hittite verb is a ḫi-verb.^[17] The verb is otherwise lost, but the noun *u̯esno-, *u̯osno- 'purchase price' is widespread.^[2]

Evidence

The verb is attested only in Anatolian and, doubtfully, Tocharian, and the noun in Indo-Iranian, Greek, Armenian and Italic.^[2][18] LIV marks the Tocharian form with a query: it serves as the suppletive past of a verb from another root, 1.*h₁ai̯-, and the Tocharian A past participle wawu speaks against a root-final -s-.^[2]

Competing analyses

LIV takes the meaning of the Hittite perfect from the aorist, or, with Oettinger, the form as a remodelled causative-iterative *u̯os-éi̯e-.^[2] Kloekhorst argues from Hittite ušnii̯e/a- (“to offer for sale”) that the noun was originally an n-stem *uos-n, genitive *us-en-s, thematized separately in the other languages;^[18] Beekes and de Vaan accept that this explains the different root vowels of Armenian, Greek and Latin.^[18][19] Beekes sees no need for a lengthened-grade *uōs-no- behind Ancient Greek ὦνος (ônos),^[18] and Martirosyan takes Armenian գին (gin) as the regular outcome of *u̯esno-, not of *uē̯sno-.^[20] LIV counts the Old Church Slavonic word for 'dowry' among the derivatives of the noun,^[2] but Derksen derives Proto-Slavic *vě̑no (“bride-price”) from *h₁ued-no-m, with Greek ἔεδνα (éedna) and Old English weotuma.^[21]

Meanings

1. to buy, to sell^[2]

LIV glosses Hittite wāsi as 'sells', but Kloekhorst shows from the laws that the verb means 'to buy'.^[2][17]

Derivatives

• *u̯es-no-, *u̯os-no- 'purchase price'.^[2][19]
• *uos-n-éie- 'to bargain', which Beekes reconstructs from Sanskrit वस्नयति (vasnayáti) and Greek ὠνέω (ōnéō).^[18]

Reflexes

• Anatolian: Hittite u̯āš- (“to buy”).^[17]
• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit वस्न (vasná-, “price”), as listed by LIV.^[2]
• Greek: Ancient Greek ὦνος (ônos, “purchase price”).^[18]
• Armenian: Old Armenian գին (gin, “price, purchase price”).^[20]
• Italic: Latin vēnum (“sale”).^[19]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B wasa (“gave”), doubtfully, as listed by LIV.^[2]

*wes-³ to graze

Reconstruction

LIV's third root of this shape is *u̯es- 'to graze, to pasture, to consume, to eat',^[3] and Matasović *wes- 'graze'.^[22] de Vaan reconstructs a lengthened *uēs- 'pasture, food',^[23] and Kroonen a thematic *ués-e- for the Germanic verb.^[24]

Morphology

LIV sets up an acrodynamic root present ?*u̯ḗs-/u̯és-, with a query, for Hittite wesiyattari (“grazes”), Latin vēscor and Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌽 (wisan).^[3] The acrodynamic form rests on the Latin long vowel, which LIV finds confirmed by its spread into Avestan nouns such as vāstra- (“pasture”) and Avestan vāstar- (“herdsman”).^[3] de Vaan derives vēscor from *u̯es-ske/o-, with ē introduced as perhaps in Avestan.^[23]

Evidence

The verb is weakly attested, but nouns survive in Anatolian, Indo-Iranian, Celtic, Germanic and Tocharian.^[3] Kroonen finds the link between the Germanic verb and the root confirmed by Middle English wes (“tended livestock, grazed”).^[24] LIV notes that Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌽 (wisan) could instead belong to 'to be, to stay', *h₂wes-.^[3]

Competing analyses

Matasović doubts that the two senses of Old Irish feis, 'spending the night' and 'feast, food', belong together, and he separates *wes-tā 'food, feast' from a word for sexual union.^[22] de Vaan rejects the view that vēscor merges this root with 1.*u̯es- 'to wear'.^[23]

Meanings

1. to graze, to pasture, to consume, to eat^[3][24]

The Latin verb means 'to make use of, to enjoy', and the Gothic one 'to feast'.^[23][24]

Derivatives

• *ues-i-, *us-ei- in Hittite u̯eši- (“pasture”).^[25]
• *u̯es-teh₂- in Old Irish fess (“food”), and *u̯es-ti- in Old Norse vist (“food”).^[3]
• *wes-ri- in Tocharian A wäsri (“pasture”).^[24]

Reflexes

• Anatolian: Hittite u̯ešii̯e/a- (“to pasture, to graze”).^[25]
• Iranian: Avestan vāstra- (“pasture”), as listed by LIV.^[3]
• Italic: Latin vēscor (“to make use of, to enjoy”).^[23]
• Celtic: Proto-Celtic *westā (“food, feast”).^[22]
• Germanic: Proto-Germanic *wesan- (“to consume, to feast”).^[24]
• Tocharian: Tocharian A wäsri (“pasture”), as listed by LIV.^[3]