--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:
> I've got no Slavic etymological dictionary at hand, but IF the two
Polish words are related to each other AND derive from something
Proto-Slavic, then that prototype may have been *stUb- with
hypothetical Old Polish *steb, Gen. *stba [zdba] levelled out to
zdeb, zdeba, and a diminutive formation *stUb-ik- giving *zdbik >
*zbik > z'bik > hypercorrect *Zbik. I'm only guessing here and may
well be on the wrong track. Still, if anyone feels like going on an
IE wildcat chase, **stubH- might be worth keeping in mind.
>
If anyone wants to discuss IE fauna, I'm always game.
>
> Piotr
I'm really sorry for this more than outdated reply, but I had to
answer just in the name of justice: *stUb- is a nice shot (worth a
reward :) considering the fact that only one language of the family
was analyzed.
Proto-Slavic for 'wild cat' was, as supported by Lekhitic, Bulgarian
and Russian evidence, *stIb'I (here b' after Moscow etym. school
notation, = *bj). The first connection that occurs is with Lith.
stebe.'ti 'to stare, to gaze' which could reflect wild cat's manner
of loooking at.
Sergei