Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʰrebh₂-

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

Root

*gʰrebh₂-^[1]^[2]^[3]

to seize, grab
to dig, rake

Reconstruction notes

Rix reconstructs *gʰrebh₂- (“seize”) and tentatively *gʰrebʰ- (“dig”). Pokorny reconstructs *gʰrebʰ-, *gʰerbʰ- for both meanings. Derksen derives *grabiti from *gʰreb- rather than *gʰrebʰ- due to Winter's law, which is required to produce the acute *-a- of the Slavic root but would not operate in *gʰrebʰ-. In descendant families, there is contamination between the two meanings.

Alternative reconstructions

*gʰrebʰ-
*gʰreb⁽ʰ⁾h₂-^[4]
*gʰerbʰ-
*gʰreb-^[5]

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰrebʰ- (18 c, 0 e)

*gʰrébh₂-t ~ *gʰr̥bh₂-ént (athematic root aorist)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian:
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan:
    - Sanskrit: अग्रभीत् (ágrabhīt)
  - Proto-Iranian:
    - Avestan: 𐬔𐬭𐬀𐬠𐬆𐬨 (grabəm)
- >? Proto-Anatolian:
  - >? Hittite: [script needed] (kar(ap)p-, “to pick up, lift, take”)^{[n 1]}
*gʰr̥b-né-h₂-ti (nasal-infix present)
*gʰe-gʰróbh₂-e ~ *gʰe-gʰr̥bh₂-ḗr (stative)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ǰagrábʰa
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *ȷ́agrábʰa
    - Sanskrit: जग्रभ (jagrabha)
  - Proto-Iranian:
    - Avestan: 𐬘𐬁𐬔𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬠𐬎𐬱 (jāgər^əbuš)
*gʰróbh₂-e-ti (o-grade thematic present)
- Proto-Germanic: *grabaną (see there for further descendants)
*gʰrobh₂-éye-ti (causative)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  - Proto-Slavic: *grabiti (“to grab, seize”)
^?*gʰr̥b-yé-ti
- >? Proto-Anatolian:
  - >? Hittite: 𒋼𒀀𒁉𒄿𒄑𒍣 (kar-pí-i-ez-zi), 𒋼𒀀𒀊𒁉𒄑𒍣 (kar-ap-pí-ez-zi /⁠kr̩pjɛt͡sːi⁠/, “picks up, lifts up, takes”)^[7]^{[n 1]}
*gʰróbh₂-o-s
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *grábʰas
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *grábʰas
    - Vedic Sanskrit: ग्रभ (grabha), ग्राभ (grābha)
      - Classical Sanskrit: ग्रह (graha), ग्राह (grāha) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Slavic: *grobъ
*gʰrébh₂-tus ~ *gʰr̥bh₂-téws
- Proto-Germanic: *graftuz

Unsorted formations

Proto-Slavic: *gretì
Proto-Germanic: *grabą, *grōbō, *grōbiz, *grēbiz, *grubilōną
Latvian: grebt (“to scrape, excavate, seize”)

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 More likely from *kerp- (“to pick, pluck”).^[6]

Descendants

Proto-Indo-Iranian: *grabʰ-
- Proto-Indo-Aryan: *grabʰ-
  - Vedic Sanskrit: ग्रभ् (grabh)
    - Classical Sanskrit: ग्रह् (grah)

References

^ Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*g^hrebh₂”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 201
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 454
^ Ringe, Don (2024) The Linguistic Roots of Ancient Greek. Oxford: OUP. P. 6.
^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 505
^ Derksen, Rick (2008), “*gràbiti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 185: “v. (a) ‘seize, grab’”
^ 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
^ Oettinger, Norbert (1979), Die Stammbildung des hethitischen Verbums (Erlanger Beiträge zur Sprach- und Kunstwissenschaft; 64), Nürnberg, page 345

[n1-7] 1.0 ^1.1 More likely from *kerp- (“to pick, pluck”).^[6]

[1] Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “*g^hrebh₂”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 201

[2] Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 454

[3] Ringe, Don (2024) The Linguistic Roots of Ancient Greek. Oxford: OUP. P. 6.

[4] Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 505

[5] Derksen, Rick (2008), “*gràbiti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 185: “v. (a) ‘seize, grab’”

[EDHIL-6] 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

[8] Oettinger, Norbert (1979), Die Stammbildung des hethitischen Verbums (Erlanger Beiträge zur Sprach- und Kunstwissenschaft; 64), Nürnberg, page 345

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