02-04-2004 15:32, tgpedersen wrote:
> I'd have thought that the -a- proved Indo-Iranian provenance (PIE e
> > a).
No, since Gmc. *a may reflect PIE *o or "schwa secundum", both of which
may occur in the *sed- root (e.g the past tense <sat> is not
Indo-Iranian). The derivative *sed-tlo- is found in Indo-Iranian (Skt.
sattra-, Av. hastra-), but it means things like 'session, gathering,
sacrificial ceremony', not 'saddle' or even 'seat'.
Piotr