From: Bhrihskwobhloukstroy
Message: 69635
Date: 2012-05-17
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Bhrihskwobhloukstroy
> <bhrihstlobhrouzghdhroy@...> wrote:
>>
>> If we don't care about German Part-, the etymology of Italo-Western
>> Romance (*)ba(:)rra remains open to 1. *gwer- 'throat', 2. *gwer(H)-
>> 'heavy', 3. *gwer- 'mountain' (I can't find *ber- roots). Among these,
>> I'd prefer *gwerH- 'heavy' (a bar is usually quite heavy).
>>
> Apparently, you forgot *gWer-u- 'spear, spit' > Celtic *beru- 'spit',
> Latin veru 'spit; dart, short spear', whose diminutive veruculum has
> been transformed into Romance *berruculu- > Old Spanish berrojo, Gascon
> berrolh, as well as other variants contaminated with ferrum 'iron' and
> other words.
>
> I'm afraid the word barra can't be explained without the pre-Latin
> substratum.
>
>