Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ŕ̥tḱos

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

The word is either a nominalization of an unattested adjective *h₂r̥tḱós (“destroying”) or a derivative of *h₂rétḱ-os ~ *h₂rétḱ-es- (“destruction”) (cf. Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬱𐬀𐬵 (rašah), Sanskrit रक्षस् (rákṣas)).

In late PIE (i.e. post-Anatolian period), the word metathesized into *h₂ŕ̥ḱtos which phonetically surfaced as *h₂ŕ̥ḱþos following the rule that when dental and velar occlusives appear syllable-initially, they metathesize tk → kt and turn into a thorn cluster denoted ḱþ. See Wikipedia for a discussion of these clusters' makeup.

Noun

*h₂ŕ̥tḱos m (non-ablauting)

1. bear

Inflection

Thematic
	singular
nominative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱos
genitive	*h₂ŕ̥tḱosyo
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱos	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoh₁	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoes
vocative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱe	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoh₁	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoes
accusative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱom	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoh₁	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoms
genitive	*h₂ŕ̥tḱosyo	*?	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoHom
ablative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱead	*?	*h₂ŕ̥tḱomos
dative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoey	*?	*h₂ŕ̥tḱomos
locative	*h₂ŕ̥tḱey, *h₂ŕ̥tḱoy	*?	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoysu
instrumental	*h₂ŕ̥tḱoh₁	*?	*h₂ŕ̥tḱōys

Descendants

• Proto-Albanian: *artsa
  • Old Albanian: ar (< shortening of *arth, where -th was mistaken for a diminutive suffix)
    • Albanian: ari (< back-formation from arinj (pl.), inherited plural of OAlb ar), arushë (feminine)
• Proto-Anatolian: *Hŕ̥tḱos (see there for further descendants)
• Armenian:
  • Old Armenian: արջ (arǰ)
    • Armenian: արջ (arǰ)
• Proto-Balto-Slavic: *irśtwā́ˀ (< *h₂r̥tḱwéh₂)
• Proto-Celtic: *artos (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Hellenic: *árktos
  • Ancient Greek: ἄρκτος (árktos)
    • Greek: άρκτος (árktos), αρκούδα (arkoúda)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *Hŕ̥ćšas (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Italic: *orssos
  • Latin: ursus (see there for further descendants)