Re: PIE *nr-, *nur-?

From: Daniel J. Milton
Message: 46531
Date: 2006-11-03

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Francesco Brighenti" <frabrig@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Dear listmembers,
>
> As a side note to Giuseppe's message copied below: a Wikipedia
> article states the following:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nur
> << *nur is a Proto-Indo-European root denoting water or river. As
> such it is a part of several river and city names in Europe,
> including Narew, Narva and Neretva. >>
>
> From another Wikipedia article:
>
> << [The river] Narew originates in Belarus and flows into the
> Vistula river in Poland........The name of the river comes from a
> Proto-Indo-European root *nr primarily associated with water
> (compare with Narva, Neretva, Neris, Ner and Nur). >>
>
> What is the linguistic basis for the reconstruction of these PIE
> roots supposedly associated with water bodies or rivers, *nr- and
> *nur-? They are not found in Pokorny!
>
> Thanks and best regards,
> Francesco
*********
It is in Pokorny:
Root: ner-3

English meaning: to conceal, cover, hiding place, hollow

German meaning: `eindringen, untertauchen, Versteck, H£hle'

Material: Gesichert nur fµrs Balt.-Slav.: lit. neriu°, ne´rti
`(unter)tauchen, durchschwimmen, fliehen, einschlµpfen', neri°s m.
`Biber', na~ras m. `Taucherente', narva° `Zelle der Bienenk£nigin',
lett. ni°rt, nirda^t `untertauchen'; aksl. nüro§, nre¹ti `eindringen',
sloven. po-ndre·´ti `untertauchen', klr. po-nerty `tauchen', aksl.
nora `fwleÒj, latibulum', russ. nora´ `Loch, H£hle, Grube', aruss.
po-norovú `Erdwurm', serb. no°rac `Taucher'; auf einer Tiefstufe *núr-
(*nor- zu idg. *nor-) beruht slav. nyr-, nur- in russ.-aksl. nyrjati,
`se immergere', nura `janua' (usw.); hierher wohl die FlN apr. Narus,
lit. Nar~-upe, illyr. N£rwn `Narenta' = schott.-gael. Abhainn Narunn
`Nairn'; lit. Neri°s, Nery~s, Nereta°, apr. Neria `Nehrung', russ.
Neretva (zum Bug).

References: WP. II 334, Trautmann 196 f., Pokorny Urillyrier 3 f., 45;

See also: vielleicht zu ner-2.

Pages: 766
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Sorry for the font problems, but you get the idea (or check Pokorny
for yourself).
I doubt that the Narva has anything to do with this. From its
location I'd suspect a Finnic origin (and it has a Finnic sound to my
ignorant ear).
Dan