Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/steuraz

This Proto-Germanic 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-Germanic

Etymology

Uncertain.

The term is sometimes connected with Avestan 𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬊𐬭𐬀 (staora, “large domestic animal”), which could perhaps indicate a PIE form *stéh₂wros (“big”), though a pre-form of this exact shape is also suggested to be the source of Proto-Germanic *stōraz.^[1]
The EIEC reconstructs a shared pre-form *stewros (“large (domestic) animal”) and presumes that the semantics of the Germanic terms were influenced by *táwros (“bull”),^[2] whence also Proto-Germanic *þeuraz (“bull”).
Alternatively, the term may instead have been inherited from the same source as Proto-Germanic *þeuraz (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *táwros, though Kroonen doubts this possibility, arguing that it requires ablaut with the non-IE word *táwros (which is probably from a substrate source) and also s-mobile.^[1]
Ultimately, Kroonen suggests that both *steuraz and *þeuraz were borrowed from a substrate source with "irregular sound substitution" of a non-IE consonant, thereby producing the two variant forms.^[1] As an example of the possible non-IE phoneme in question, Kroonen suggests /θ/,^[1] which does appear in Etruscan θevrumines (“minotaur”).^[3] Kroonen has further proposed that the Germanic forms may have been borrowed twice at different stages of the language, in which case the term *steuraz was perhaps borrowed before Grimm's law and thus before the language had dental fricatives. Alternatively, Kroonen postulates that the differing initial consonants could merely reflect a series of sound substitutions as the wanderwort spread across various languages.^[4]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈsteu̯.rɑz/

Noun

*steuraz m^[1]^[5]

bull
Synonyms: *bulô, *þeuraz

Inflection

Declension of *steuraz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*steuraz	steurōz, steurōs
vocative	*steur	steurōz, steurōs
accusative	*steurą	*steuranz
genitive	steuras, stiuris	*steurǫ̂
dative	*steurai	*steuramaz
instrumental	*steurō	*steuramiz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *steur
- Old English: stēor
  - Middle English: steer, steor, ster, stere
    - English: steer
    - Middle Scots: ster, stere, steir
      - Scots: steer
- Old Frisian: stiār
- Old Saxon: *stior, stier
  - Middle Low German: stēr
- Old Dutch: stier
  - Middle Dutch: stier
    - Dutch: stier
      - Afrikaans: stier
- Old High German: stior
  - Middle High German: stier
    - Alemannic German: Stier
    - German: Stier
    - Luxembourgish: Stéier
Old Norse: stjórr
- Icelandic: stjór
Gothic: 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌿𐍂 (stiur)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*steura-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 478-479
^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*steuros”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, pages 23-24
^ Van Sluis, Paulus (2024), “Substrate alternations in Celtic”, in Guus Kroonen, editor, Sub-Indo-European Europe: Problems, Methods, Results (Trends in Linguistics Studies and Monographs), volume 375, Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, page 80
^ Kroonen, Guus (2012), “Non-Indo-European root nouns in Germanic: Evidence in support of the Agricultural Substrate Hypothesis”, in R. Grünthal, P. Kallio, editors, A Linguistic Map of Prehistoric Northern Europe (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran Toimituksia = Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne, volume 266), Helsinki: SKS, →ISBN, →ISSN, pages 250-251
^ Vladimir Orel (2003), “*steuraz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 377

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*steura-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 478-479

[2] Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*steuros”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, pages 23-24

[3] Van Sluis, Paulus (2024), “Substrate alternations in Celtic”, in Guus Kroonen, editor, Sub-Indo-European Europe: Problems, Methods, Results (Trends in Linguistics Studies and Monographs), volume 375, Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, page 80

[Kroonen-4] Kroonen, Guus (2012), “Non-Indo-European root nouns in Germanic: Evidence in support of the Agricultural Substrate Hypothesis”, in R. Grünthal, P. Kallio, editors, A Linguistic Map of Prehistoric Northern Europe (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran Toimituksia = Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne, volume 266), Helsinki: SKS, →ISBN, →ISSN, pages 250-251

[5] Vladimir Orel (2003), “*steuraz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 377

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