Re: [tied] Re: PIE *nr-, *nur-?

From: Brian M. Scott
Message: 46534
Date: 2006-11-03

At 10:14:39 on Friday, 3 November 2006, Francesco Brighenti
wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen"
> <tgpedersen@...> wrote:

[...]

>> Another great source of etymological research on the internet
>> is the cybalist group, in the archives of which one might try
>> to find the above river names.

> O.K., I have tried:

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narew
> "Hydronimic *noru- is especially well attested in Baltic (e.g.
> Prussian Nerus, Nerusa, Polish Narew [a large tributary of the
> Vistula] < Sudovian *naru:-), though it isn't clear to me what it's
> supposed to mean. Some etymologists connect it with the root *ner-
> 'dive, penetrate'. I wonder if Germanic *naru- 'narrow' might be
> somehow related (although the Narew is a remarkably wide river)."

> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/15941
> "...the name Nrowa appears to be related to that of the Narew (a
> major eastern tributary of the Vistula system; the name, Old Polish
> <Nari> = Nary <-- *Naru:s was borrowed from West Baltic during the
> Middle Ages). There are other *nar(u)- hydronyms in the Baltic area,
> e.g. lith. Narupe, OPr. Narus. Nrowa < *norwa < *norwa: might very
> well be the same name (only borrowed much earlier) with the regular
> feminine ending added to *noru-."

I haven't really been following this, but possibly also
relevant is:

<http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/10699>

Vi`lnius is named after a river (the biggest tributary of
the Niemen) called *Vi`lnia: 'streaming; rippling', which
later changed its name to Neri`s 'swift,whirly' (indeed!).

Brian