Re: [tied] "Fish" in Slavic

On 2006-07-21 18:04, Joao S. Lopes wrote:

> But there are several species of felids in Eurasia, and we don't know if
> the name *lu(n)k^s- was originally referred to the lynx (Lynx lynx). The
> original meaning could be wild cat (Felis silvestris), manul (Otocolubus
> manuel), tiger (Panthera tigris) or even leopard (Panthera pardus).
> Compare with meaning shift in Portuguese, where onc,a
> (<uncia<luncia<lynx) nowadays means "jaguar".

Still, reflexes of *lu(n)k^- mean 'lynx', not 'any felid' in Germanic,
Balto-Slavic, Greek and Armenian. In other words, they show remarkable
semantic stability despite their wide distribution. Polish <rysiec> is
an obsolete word for 'lynx or leopard (skin)', but it's of course a late
derivative. BTW, Slavic has a special term for 'wildcat', *stIbjI,
perhaps related to Gk. stipHros 'firm, stout' and OInd. stibHi- 'tuft'.
Anyway, Iranian languages have their own words for 'leopard' and
'tiger', none of the related to *lu(n)k^-.

Piotr