Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/samosiskʷī

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

From *samos (“summer”) +‎ *siskʷos (“sterile, dry”).

Noun

*samosiskʷī f

1. heifer, sterile cow

Declension

Feminine ī/yā-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*samosiskʷī	*samosiskʷī	*samosiskʷiyās
vocative	*samosiskʷī	*samosiskʷī	*samosiskʷiyās
accusative	*samosiskʷīm	*samosiskʷī	*samosiskʷīms
genitive	*samosiskʷyās	*samosiskʷyous	*samosiskʷyom
dative	*samosiskʷyai	*samosiskʷyābom	*samosiskʷyābos
locative	*?	*?	*?
instrumental	*?	*samosiskʷyābim	*samosiskʷyābis

Reconstruction notes

• The ī-stem inflection that Matasović reconstructs based on Goidelic cannot account for the Brittonic forms. Only a form *samosiskʷā can account for Brittonic.
  • In the nominative singular, the first vowel should have been i-affected to yield **Hefysp in Welsh or the like. Instead, the Welsh indicates that a-affection, not i-affection, happened.
  • Deriving from an oblique stem is not an option since this should yield **Hafysp, with neither a-affection nor i-affection having occurred.
• The final -k in Breton is irregular; a labial consonant would be instead expected. Matasovic attributes this to either Goidelic influence or a sporadic delabialization.

Descendants

• Brythonic:
  • Welsh: Hafesp
  • Middle Breton: hanvesk, hanveskenn
    • Breton: hañvesk
• Goidelic:
  • Old Irish: samaisc
    • Middle Irish: samaisc