Re: [tied] Re: *gwistis

Message

Well, perhaps 'thick' rather than 'young'-- a mass of twigs and leaves. I don't think *gvozdU and *gvozdI derive from the same root. They can't be, at any rate, if the latter is related to Goth. gazds 'goad, prickle' and Eng. yard < PGmc. *gazd-j-o:n 'stick, rod'. Pace Pokorny, his 'nail, penis' root (#736) would then have be reconstructed as *gH(w)osdH-, not *gwosd(H)-.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Sergejus Tarasovas

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 7:55 PM

Subject: RE: [tied] Re: *gwistis

>> (originally a collective of *gath < *gwosdos, meaning something like 'foliage, thicket', cf. Slavic *gvozdU 'young forest').

The semantic development 'forest' (why 'young', BTW?) -> 'nail' (*gvozdI) has always astonished me. 'Uncomfortable forest' > 'something that pricks, peg'?