Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/ɸolnos
Proto-Celtic
Etymology
Possibly a *-nós adjective from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₁-,[1] but the appearance of the o-grade is odd (but paralleled in Ancient Greek πολύς (polús)) and the root *pleh₁- already had a *-nós adjective, namely *pl̥h₁nós, inherited into Celtic as *ɸlānos.
Adjective
*ɸolnos[2]
Inflection
| O/ā-stem | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | singular | dual | plural |
| nominative | *ɸolnos | *ɸolnou | *ɸolnoi |
| vocative | *ɸolne | *ɸolnou | *ɸolnoi |
| accusative | *ɸolnom | *ɸolnou | *ɸolnons |
| genitive | *ɸolnī | *ɸolnous | *ɸolnom |
| dative | *ɸolnūi | *ɸolnobom | *ɸolnobos |
| instrumental | *ɸolnū | *ɸolnobim | *ɸolnobis |
| feminine | singular | dual | plural |
| nominative | *ɸolnā | *ɸolnai | *ɸolnās |
| vocative | *ɸolnā | *ɸolnai | *ɸolnās |
| accusative | *ɸolnam | *ɸolnai | *ɸolnans |
| genitive | *ɸolnās | *ɸolnous | *ɸolnom |
| dative | *ɸolnai | *ɸolnābom | *ɸolnābos |
| instrumental | *? | *ɸolnābim | *ɸolnābis |
| neuter | singular | dual | plural |
| nominative | *ɸolnom | *ɸolnou | *ɸolnā |
| vocative | *ɸolnom | *ɸolnou | *ɸolnā |
| accusative | *ɸolnom | *ɸolnou | *ɸolnā |
| genitive | *ɸolnī | *ɸolnous | *ɸolnom |
| dative | *ɸolnūi | *ɸolnobom | *ɸolnobos |
| instrumental | *ɸolnū | *ɸolnobim | *ɸolnobis |
| Declension of the comparative | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | singular | dual | plural |
| nominative | *ɸolnyūs | *? | *ɸolnyoses |
| vocative | *ɸolnyūs | *? | *ɸolnyoses |
| accusative | *ɸolnyosam | *? | *ɸolnyosans |
| genitive | *ɸolnisos | *? | *ɸolnisom |
| dative | *ɸolnisei | *? | *ɸolnisbos |
| instrumental | *ɸolnisī | *? | *ɸolnisbis |
| feminine | singular | dual | plural |
| nominative | *ɸolnyūs | *? | *ɸolnyoses |
| vocative | *ɸolnyūs | *? | *ɸolnyoses |
| accusative | *ɸolnyosam | *? | *ɸolnyosans |
| genitive | *ɸolnisos | *? | *ɸolnisom |
| dative | *ɸolnisei | *? | *ɸolnisbos |
| instrumental | *ɸolnisī | *? | *ɸolnisbis |
| neuter | singular | dual | plural |
| nominative | *ɸolnis | *? | *? |
| vocative | *ɸolnis | *? | *? |
| accusative | *ɸolnis | *? | *? |
| genitive | *ɸolnisos | *? | *ɸolnisom |
| dative | *ɸolnisei | *? | *ɸolnisbos |
| instrumental | *ɸolnisī | *? | *ɸolnisbis |
Reconstruction notes
Matasović refuses to place the Gaulish word under this etymon, instead placing it under *olyos (“all”). His objection makes little sense since "all" cannot account for all the semantics of the Gaulish word and compounds derived from it:
- The attested ollon is in antonymic opposition to meion (seemingly from *mey- (“small”)) in the Chamalières inscription.
- Several place-names containing the combining form Ollo- make more sense when it means "great, large", such as German Olbrück (< Ollo-brigā "great fort"), French Olendon and Oudun (< *Ollo-dūnom "great fort").
Descendants
References
- ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 136-137
- ^ Stifter, David (2023) “The rise of gemination in Celtic”, in Open Research Europe[1], volume 3, number 24, , page 33