Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kerp-

See also: Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/krep-

This Proto-Indo-European 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-Indo-European

Etymology

Apparently ultimately derived from *(s)ker- (“to cut”) via a p-extension of unknown origin and function.

Root

*kerp-^[1]^[2]

(originally?) to cut off, raze
(originally?) to pick up, lift; to take and carry away
to pluck, pick (e.g. fruit)
to reap, harvest

Alternative reconstructions

*(s)kerp- (a-priori, based on *(s)ker-, but see reconstruction notes)^[1]^[2]^[3]

Reconstruction notes

The presumed original s-mobile is found only in Lithuanian šķērpêt (“to cut grass”), but this word is not mentioned as cognate by the sources cited. See also Ancient Greek σκορπίος (skorpíos, “scorpion”).
Outside of Anatolian, this root sometimes took on a more specialized meaning “to harvest”, with either agricultural or foraging connotation. The Hittite root, if it belongs here, preserves a seemingly older sense related to “lifting” and “taking”.^[3] This is similar to the Slavic senses “to scoop, draw”. However, in at least Baltic and Indo-Iranian, a family of senses “to cut (off), chop; cutting tool” seems to directly continue from *(s)ker- (“to cut (off)”). (That Ancient Greek κρώπιον (krṓpion, “billhook, sickle”) can formally derive from this root is doubtful.) It is therefore unclear which of the two developments explains the “pluck, harvest” senses, or if perhaps they should be regarded in parallel as separate developments.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kerp- (8 c, 0 e)

*kerp- (root verb), *kérp-t (athematic root aorist)^[3]
- >? Proto-Anatolian:
  - >? Hittite: 𒋼𒀀𒀊𒍣 (kar-ap-zi /⁠kr̩pt͡s(ː)i⁠/)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *kerp-, *kirp-
  - Latvian: cìrpt (“to shave”)
  - Lithuanian: kir̃pti (“to cut, chop; to clip, shear”)
  - Proto-Slavic: *čerpti (“to scoop, draw”), *čerpati, *čьrpati (see there for further descendants)
*kérp-e-ti (thematic root present)
- Proto-Italic: *karpō^{[n 1]}
  - Latin: carpō (“to pluck”)^[2] (see there for further descendants)
*kr̥p-yé-ti (yé-present)
- Proto-Anatolian:
  - Hittite: 𒋼𒀀𒁉𒄿𒄑𒍣 (kar-pí-i-ez-zi), 𒋼𒀀𒀊𒁉𒄑𒍣 (kar-ap-pí-ez-zi /⁠kr̩pjɛt͡sːi⁠/, “picks up, lifts up, takes”)^[3]
*kerp-o-s, perhaps an original root noun *kérp-s ~ *kr̥p-ós
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *kerpas (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)
  - >? Proto-Slavic: *čerpъ (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Hellenic: *kərpós (“*what is plucked > fruit”) (from *kr̥pós)
  - >? Ancient Greek: καρπός (karpós)^[4]^{[n 2]} (see there for further descendants)
  - >? Mycenaean Greek: 𐀏𐀡 (ka-po)
- >? Proto-Hellenic: *kərpós (“that which plucks?”)
  - >? Ancient Greek: καρπός (karpós, “wrist”)^[5]
Unsorted formations:
- Proto-Albanian: *karpudā
  - Albanian: kërpudhë (“mushroom”)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  - >? Lithuanian: šķērpêt (“to cut grass”)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  - Proto-Slavic:
    - Old Church Slavonic: почрѣти (počrěti, “to shape?”)^[1]
- Proto-Germanic: *harbistaz (“harvest, autumn”) (see there for further descendants)
- Indo-Iranian:
  - Indo-Aryan:
    - Sanskrit: कृपाणी (kṛpāṇī, “dagger”), कृपाण (kṛpāṇa, “sword”)

Notes

^ With a likely from the zero-grade *kr̥p- preceding a consonant.^[2]
^ Expected *κραπός (*krapós).^[4]^[2]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*(s)kerp-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 559
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “carpō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 95
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “karp(ii̯e/a)-^zi”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 452–454: “PIE *(s)krp-i̯é/ó-; *(s)kérp-t / *(s)krp-ént”
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “καρπός 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 649
^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “καρπός 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 649

[4] With a likely from the zero-grade *kr̥p- preceding a consonant.^[2]

[6] Expected *κραπός (*krapós).^[4]^[2]

[LIV-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*(s)kerp-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 559

[EDL-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “carpō”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 95

[EDHIL-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “karp(ii̯e/a)-^zi”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 452–454: “PIE *(s)krp-i̯é/ó-; *(s)kérp-t / *(s)krp-ént”

[EDG-5] 4.0 ^4.1 Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “καρπός 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 649

[7] Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “καρπός 2”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 649

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