Joao S. Lopes wrote:
> Is there any etymology for English yule (OE geol, Anglian giuli ON jól,
> ýlir Gothic jiuleis) beside *yegWH-, cf. Greek zophos?
It can't be that. A careful analysis of all the Germanic material
reveals an original neuter *jexWla- (--> Finn. juhla 'feast, fire') with
a collective affected by Verner's Law: *jegWlo: > *jeulo: 'Yule-time
festivities'. There are further derivatives like *jeulija- (m.) or
*jeulan- 'Yule month' (more or less = December, give or take a few
weeks), where the *eu is also a development of *exW wia Verner's Law. In
PIE terms that would have been *jékW-lo- and *jekW-láh2. It is referred
either to a rather insecurely reconstructed root *jekW- 'to speak
passionately' or to some ancient contamination, perhaps involving
*jeh1-ro- 'year, season' and *kWekWlo- 'wheel'.
Piotr