Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/worīnā

This Proto-Celtic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Celtic

Etymology

A close-looking cognate may exist in Old English wearn (“a multitude”).^[1]

Zimmer speculates a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to swear”), under the notion that those in a troop are sworn to each other. But Matasović finds this difficult to accept, since this root does not have an s-mobile anywhere else in Indo-European.^[1]
Pokorny instead postulates a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to watch”).^[2]

Noun

*worīnā f

band, troop of people

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*worīnā	*worīnai	*worīnās
vocative	*worīnā	*worīnai	*worīnās
accusative	*worīnam	*worīnai	*worīnāns
genitive	*worīnās	*worīnous	*worīnom
dative	*worīnāi	*worīnābom	*worīnābos
locative	*worīnai	*?	*?
instrumental	*?	*worīnābim	*worīnābis

Reconstruction notes

The vowel in Old Irish foirenn is irregular; one would expect *fuirenn with raising of the vowel by the following *ī. It is also plausible to reconstruct *warīnā with the Irish reflexes born from a spontaneous rounding of the first vowel by a labial consonant.

Descendants

Proto-Brythonic: *gwörin
- Old Breton: guerin
  - Middle Breton: gueryn
    - Breton: gwerin
- Old Welsh: guerin
  - Middle Welsh: gwerin
    - Welsh: gwerin
Old Irish: foirenn, fairenn
- Middle Irish: fairend
  - Irish: foireann
  - Scottish Gaelic: foireann
Gaulish: *uarīnā
- → Latin: Varīnī, Varīnnae
- →⇒ Latin: Varīnnius

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*worīnā”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 428
^ Delamarre, Xavier (2003) “uarina”, in Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental [Dictionary of the Gaulish language: A linguistic approach to Old Continental Celtic] (Collection des Hespérides; 9), 2nd edition, Éditions Errance, →ISBN, page 307

[EDPC-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*worīnā”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 428

[2] Delamarre, Xavier (2003) “uarina”, in Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental [Dictionary of the Gaulish language: A linguistic approach to Old Continental Celtic] (Collection des Hespérides; 9), 2nd edition, Éditions Errance, →ISBN, page 307

[1]

[2]