Joao S. Lopes wrote:
> Or Perhaps Germanic was originally Satem? k^>s^>X>h ?
No. The Slavic word is actually *s^elmU, presupposing earlier *xelma-
(Common Slavic *x occurred only before back vowels, *s^ before front
ones). It's evidently a loan from Germanic, presumably from an early
variety of East Germanic (a dialect with *e, different from Wulfilan
Visigothic /i/ in <hilms>). Lith. s^álmas could in principle be a
related but independent form based on the same root, as neither strict
cognacy nor borrowing from Slavic seem to account for its vocalism.
Piotr