--- In phoNet@y..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@i...> wrote:

> I don't rule it out... The form of <lo> rules out an early loan;

the borrowed word would have had to be something like <no:>, i.e.
_Modern_ Indo-Aryan.

The variety of phonetic forms for the numeral nine in the Indo-Aryan
languages is remarkable; what is the basis for constructing a
syllabic nasal ending for PIE *newn. (ending with a syllabic nasal).
You say that it is vocalised in Indo-Iranian; is it in Avestan?

In none of the I-A languages, not even in the Dardic languages, do we
find an ending with a syllabic nasal.

There is an intriguing lexeme nyoh in Khotanese which
connotes `nine'. [Whence y? –h from Persian? Belvalkar Vol. 94]. Is
it possible that n- in nyoh was derived from loh? The transformation
lohe > nohe is attested in Santali. lohe, nohe = v.a.disregard,
disown, disobey (Santali); nohe = is not (B.)(Santali.lex.) lo = nine
(now often heard)(Santali); lo (desi); noe (B.)(Santali.lex.Bodding)

nava = nine (RV.Pali); n.ava (Pkt.); nau (D.); no, nu_ (Ash.); nu~_
(Wg.); nu_ (Pr.); no~_ (Dm.); na_h (Tir.); nawa, na_u, na_ (Pas'.);
nu_ (Shum.); nu~_ (Gaw.); no_ (Kal.); nyoh (Kho.); nah, num (Bshk.);
nom (Tor.); nau_ (Kand.); nau_ (Mai.); no_u (Sv.); nau, nu_, nu~_
(Phal.); nau~, na_u_ (Sh.); nav, nau, nam, na_u (K.); na_va (S.);
no~_, nau_, nao~ (L.); nau~, nau (P.); nao (WPah.); nau, no (Ku.);
nau (N.); na (A.B.Or.); naa (Or.); nau (Bi.Mth.Aw.H.); nam (H.); nova
(Omarw.); nav (G.); nav, nau_ (M.); nav (Kon.); nava (Osi.); namaya
(Si.); nuva (Md.)(CDIAL 6984). Navaka consisting of 9 (RV Pra_t.);
collection of 9 (R.); n.avaga (Pkt.); nomu (K.); nawwa_, namma_ (H.);
navvo the 9 in cards (G.)(CDIAL 6985).