Re: [tied] bison

Latv sumbrs/su(:)brs, Slavic zoNbrU/zoNbrI, Lith stumbras, OPr wissambrs
seems to point to particular corruptions of an older form.
Latvian su(m)brs < *s^umbras / sumbras < *k(W)mbHros ? *s(W)mbHros
Lithuanian stumbras < *st(W)mbHros ?
VPr vissambrs < *wisan(t)-bras
Slavic zoNbrU/I < *g^ombHros

Baltic forms may be a crossing between Germanic *wisand-/wisund with
*z^umbras. Perhaps giving *visumbras, with later anomalous remotion of *vi-
as it would be a prefix. Just a guess.

Joao SL

----- Original Message -----
From: Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] bison


On Sun, 19 Jan 2003 14:13:52 -0200, João Simões Lopes Filho
<jodan99@...> wrote:

>From *gômbH- "tooth" ?

Perhaps. In Old Polish, zaNbrz was used for "tiger" (modern Polish
z.ubr has irregular z^- for z- [Mazurian dialect?] and -/u/- for
-/oN/- [East Slavic?]). Except for Russian dialectal <izubr> with i-,
the other Slavic forms point to *zoNbrU (or *zoNbrI), which could be a
regular adjectival formation from *g ^ombhos "tooth", *g^ombh-ros
"toothy, toothed". However, the word also occurs in Baltic, and the
initial there does not correspond with Slavic z-: Latv. sumbrs, su:brs
or subrs with s-, Lith. stum~bras with st-, and OPr. wissamb(e)rs with
wis(s)-. The Old Prussian form is suggestive of Germanic *wisantaz ~
*wirantaz [*wis-ont-os "the stinking one"] (> Greek, Latin biso:n).

=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...



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