Re: Greek ke:tos

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

>
> > Is there a PIE etymology for Greek ke:tos- "big fish, whale, sea
> > monster"? Comparations were made to Latin squatina "skate, ray,

flatten

> > shark", from *kew&t-.
> Ernout-Meillet quote the Latin form /squatus/, suggesting a root
> *(s)kWáto-.
>
> A possible etymology is PNC *XXwanX\V 'fish' with *XX > *k and *nX\ >
> *t, and a futher reduction of the labiovelar *kW > k and Umlaut in the
> Greek form. The source language must have been Vasconic (i.e. a

relative

> of native Basque).
>

There's another possible etymology for the Greek word which looks
better: PNC *cc^etK_>V/*ttK_>ec^V 'fish; lizard', which would correspond
to a pseudo-PIE *k'eto-.