< Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic

Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/slimnos

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

Alternative reconstructions

Etymology

Matasović compares with Latin līmō (“to polish”) and Old High German slīmen (“to polish”). Others have compared to Proto-Germanic *slīmą (“slime”), Latvian slienas (“saliva”), and Proto-Slavic *slina (“saliva”). For these a root *sleyH- or *sleh₁y- can be reconstructed.

Adjective

*slimnos[2][3]

  1. smooth
  2. slippery

Inflection
O/ā-stem
masculine singular dual plural
nominative *slimnos *slimnou *slimnoi
vocative *slimne *slimnou *slimnoi
accusative *slimnom *slimnou *slimnoms
genitive *slimnī *slimnous *slimnom
dative *slimnūi *slimnobom *slimnobos
instrumental *slimnū *slimnobim *slimnobis
feminine singular dual plural
nominative *slimnā *slimnai *slimnās
vocative *slimnā *slimnai *slimnās
accusative *slimnam *slimnai *slimnams
genitive *slimnās *slimnous *slimnom
dative *slimnai *slimnābom *slimnābos
instrumental *? *slimnābim *slimnābis
neuter singular dual plural
nominative *slimnom *slimnou *slimnā
vocative *slimnom *slimnou *slimnā
accusative *slimnom *slimnou *slimnā
genitive *slimnī *slimnous *slimnom
dative *slimnūi *slimnobom *slimnobos
instrumental *slimnū *slimnobim *slimnobis

Reconstruction notes

Matasović reconstructs the adjective as *slimonos, seemingly due to the o in Old Irish slemon. But that vowel could have easily been epenthetic in Old Irish (see also domun < *dubnos), and he fails to explain the lack of an o between the reflexes of the *m and the *n in Brythonic.

Descendants
  • Proto-Brythonic: *llɨβ̃n
    • Old Breton: limn
      • Breton: levn
      • ⇒ Middle Breton: dileffn (“hard”, literally “dis-smooth”)
    • ⇒ Old Welsh: limnint (3pl present)
    • Middle Welsh: llyfyn
  • Old Irish: slemon

References
  1. Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*slimono-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 346
  2. R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “llyfn”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
  3. Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 141-142
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