Dan:
> I thought /mundus/ 'world' was a calque on Greek /kosmos/, both
> with a primary meaning something like "set in order".
Me:
> Where do you get "set in order" in Latin?
Wait, I think I can answer my own question:
http://etruscans1.tripod.com/Language/EtruscanM.html
(under 'mun-')
"calque of Greek kosmos 'order, female adornment, world order,
universe' [cw 43, g/lb83, mp68]"
So maybe you misunderstood. I think this is referring to the _Etruscan_
etymology, not the Latin one behind /mundus/ which is assuredly believed
to be a loan from Etruscan /muntH/. As for what basis there is for
thinking of the Etruscan word as a calque, I can't be sure. With other
words like /mani/ "dead spirit" and Latin /manere/ (another Etruscan
loan?), I suppose there could be some Etruscan verb *man- "to remain"
alternating with *mun- in derivatives (cf. macH/muvalcH).
Come to think of it... does Latin /manere/ really derive from Indo-
European? It seems like another fishy Pokornian root.
= gLeN