Re: Greek kitharis

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

>
> I didn't say anything at all about that direction of borrowing. My
> implication, which I thought would be clear to everyone, was that if
> *kithar > *c^ithar in Persian (or something similar) a possible
> attempt at folk etymology (that I mentioned) might result in a change
> (like asparagus > sparrowgrass, *harbena- > hornbeam, etc.).

Off the topic: what is this "*harbena- > hornbeam"? Both OED and
Webster's say "hornbeam" is merely from <horn> + <beam>, being a hard
tree like horn (also formerly "hardbeam"). Where did you find that
etymology and how do you know it's correct? (Latin <carpinus>, the
name if its genus, does have a form similar to *harbena- if the latter
is a Gmc form.)