Re: [tied] greek phallus +correction

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 17150
Date: 2002-12-12

----- Original Message -----
From: <alexmoeller@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2002 8:16 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] greek phallus +correction


> The semantic sense of romanian word is given in DEX as fallow:
> 1)proudness, haughtiness,
> 2) a reason to be proud of
> 3) glory, fame

Polish chwal/a < *xvala means exactly 'glory, fame, pride' (semantically close to *slava). This is the original Slavic meaning (we also have the verb chwalic' < *xvaliti 'praise, glorify'); in South Slavic the word has undergone a semantic shift to something like 'gratitude, thanks'. It's a rather mysterious word, suspected by some of having an Iranian etymology (*xWa:rya:, a variant of well-known *xWarnah- 'royal charisma', with Sarmatian lambdacism: *-ry- > *-l-). There's no connection with 'phallus'.

Piotr

Piotr