Re: fungus = mushroom

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Tavi" oalexandre@ wrote:
> >
> > > hello
> > > does exist any connexion between the (Pre-)-Latin Fungus (unknow
> > > origin) and Old Greek Spo(n)gos(unknow origin) = mushroom
> >
> > Yes, this is a Wanderwort of Uralic origin *paNka 'fly agaric (Amanita
> > muscaria <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria> )', an
> > hallucinogenous mushroom eated in shamanic rites of Siberian cultures
> > and elsewhere.
> >
>

In Uralic, the specific meaning 'fly agaric' is found in Udmurt and Mansi, while Mordvinic and Mari have a more generic 'mushroom; sponge; mildew': http://newstar.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?single=1&basename=/data/uralic/uralet&text_number=716&root_config

>

To the Latin and Uralic forms I'd add Sanskrit páñka- 'mud, mire, dirt', Gothic *fanga- 'mud' (borrowed into Spanish fango and similar Romance forms) and Germanic *funx-t(i)a- 'wet, moist', with straightforward semantic shifts.

>

There're also forms with initial s-: Greek sphongós 'sponge', Armenian sunk(n), sung(n) 'tree-mushroom', Kartvelian *sok'o- 'mushroom', which I link to NEC *sX\w@...'k'V (~ -?\-) 'mushroom, tinder'. However, due to its scarce attestation, I don't think is a genuine root but rather a Wanderwort.

>

More likely this is an old substrate root in NEC (see below).

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...> wrote:
>
> so, sphoggos < *sgWHongo- ?
>

Not really, because this isn't IE at all, although it could be remotedly linked to an IE root. For example, in Greek itself we've got mýke:s 'mushroom', possibly linked to Latin mu:cor 'mould' (but possibly not mu:c(c)us), as well as Germanic *mu:gV, *mugg-o:n, *mug-l-io:n 'mould' and Baltic *muk-l- 'wet, soak', the latter with a semantic shift.

From my own experience with Starostin's reconstructions, I think IE *m- could correspond to *m in NEC *sX\w@...'k'V, thus making them cognates.