On the origin of Greek μῆλον, Latin mālum, Albanian mollë and Hittite šam(a)lu- ‘apple’

TY - JOUR

T1 - On the origin of Greek μῆλον, Latin mālum, Albanian mollë and Hittite šam(a)lu- ‘apple’

AU - Kroonen, Guus

PY - 2016/3/1

Y1 - 2016/3/1

N2 - In the present paper, I discuss the much-debated origin of Greek (Greek Passive), Latin mālum and Albanian mollë 'apple'. On the basis of the attestations, the proto-form of this apparently Mediterranean etymon is usually reconstructed as ∗meh2lo-. There is another possible cognate, however, that I would like to adduce here, i.e. Hittite šam(a)lu- 'apple'. With this new comparandum, the original reconstruction can, in compliance with the known sound changes in Hittite and the other languages, be corrected to ∗smh2l-. This improved proto-form opens a new direction for the discussion of the etymology of this culturally significant word.

AB - In the present paper, I discuss the much-debated origin of Greek (Greek Passive), Latin mālum and Albanian mollë 'apple'. On the basis of the attestations, the proto-form of this apparently Mediterranean etymon is usually reconstructed as ∗meh2lo-. There is another possible cognate, however, that I would like to adduce here, i.e. Hittite šam(a)lu- 'apple'. With this new comparandum, the original reconstruction can, in compliance with the known sound changes in Hittite and the other languages, be corrected to ∗smh2l-. This improved proto-form opens a new direction for the discussion of the etymology of this culturally significant word.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0092-2323

VL - 44

SP - 85

EP - 91

JO - Journal of Indo-European Studies

JF - Journal of Indo-European Studies

IS - 1/2

ER -