[Quoting trimmed and HTML deleted in accordance with Cybalist technical recommendations, for which see <
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/files/Administrative/Rules.html>. Yahoo had identified the original post as spam! - Richard.]
afyangh<mailto:
fournet.arnaud@...> wrote [in reply to Marius - Richard.]:
> 3. You are contending that pu:tium can pre-exist
> because pretium or ostium exist.
> I disagree with this argument because of vocalic scheme.
> pre-tium is from pre- with -e-
> If Pu:tium has a similar scheme to pretium, then the root should be
> p_H3- ou p_w-. It's unclear. Considering other words like *fukk,
> it's seems probable that the root in *pu:t is *p_? and the vowel is
> *u. And the meaning is "(male) sex, penis".
Marius,
in my opinion, the ultimate root of *pu:-ti in PIE is *p(h)ewH-, 'stink', a related form of *p(h)ew-, 'swell up'. The connection is that dead animals swell up and split apart during decomposition, and generate a horrendous stink.
There is no *H3 in *pu:-ti- (*p(h)ewH-ti-), the "laryngal" itself merely lengthens the vowel (*u) resulting from the contraction of *ew (however, it cannot be ruled out that a transitional form was *p(h)e:w(H)- due to the effect on the vowel of the initial *p(h)-).
The linguistic connection between words for disagreeable odors and both male and female genitals is well-known.
That this is a very old word is supported, at least for me, by Egyptian bw, 'abominate', and *bw.t, 'abomination'. The determinative pictures a fragrant field with mushrooms or animal droppings so it is reasonable to associate the detestation with foul odors, which are generally detested.
Patrick