Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/písdeh₂

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

As suggested by Hamp 1968: from *h₁epi (“upon, by”) + *sed- (“to sit”); i.e. originally an euphemism meaning "what one sits on". Compare *nisdós (“nest”) < *ni (“down”) + *sed- (“to sit”).

Archaic formation, but with geographically limited distribution, only to central and eastern Indo-European dialects.

Reconstruction

If the analysis as a compound is correct, the word would start with otherwise unreconstructable initial laryngeal *h₁.

Diphthong in Old Prussian peisda (“ass”) would require PIE *(h₁)peysdeh₂, and other Baltic cognates are then according to Hamp later borrowings from Slavic. That explanation is favored by Kortlandt and Dybo, according to whom the operation of Winter's law was blocked in clusters containing *-st-/*-sd-.

Noun

*písdeh₂ f

1. vulva

Inflection

Thematic in *-eh₂
	singular
nominative	*písdeh₂
genitive	*písdeh₂s
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*písdeh₂	*písdeh₂h₁(e)	*písdeh₂es
vocative	*písdeh₂	*písdeh₂h₁(e)	*písdeh₂es
accusative	*písdām	*písdeh₂h₁(e)	*písdeh₂m̥s
genitive	*písdeh₂s	*?	*písdeh₂oHom
ablative	*písdeh₂s	*?	*písdeh₂mos
dative	*písdeh₂ey	*?	*písdeh₂mos
locative	*písdeh₂, *písdeh₂i	*?	*písdeh₂su
instrumental	*písdeh₂h₁	*?	*písdeh₂mis

Descendants

• Proto-Albanian: *p(e)izda
  • Albanian: pidh
• Proto-Balto-Slavic: *pīˀsdāˀ (long vowel by Winter's law) or *peisdāˀ
  • East Baltic:
    • Latvian: pīzda
    • Lithuanian: pyzdà
  • West Baltic:
    • Old Prussian: peisda (“ass”)
  • Proto-Slavic: *pīzdà (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *pízdaH
  • Proto-Iranian: *pízdaH
    • Persian: پیزی (pīzī, “ass, anus”)
  • Proto-Nuristani: *pīḍikā́ (< *pizdikáH)
    • Northern Nuristani:
      • Kamkata-viri:

        Kamviri: přī́

        Kativiri: přií

    • Southern Nuristani:
      • Ashkun: piṛí

Coordinate terms

• *putós (“vulva; anus”)
• *kuts(n)ós (“vulva; anus”)
• *péses (“penis”)
• *kápr̥ (“penis”)
• *h₃pusós (“shaft; penis”)
• *kuḱis (“vulva; female pubic hair”)

Further reading

• Pokorny, Julius (1959) “pīzdā-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 831
• Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 507
• Hamp, Eric P. (1968) “Albanian pidh : Slavic *peizd^|ā́”, in International Journal of Slavic Linguistics and Poetics ‎^[1], volume 11, The Hague: Mouton Publishers, pages 25–26
• Kortlandt, Frederik (September 14-22 1988), Remarks on Winter's law (PDF), Studies in Slavic and General Linguistics: Dutch Contributions to the 10th International Congress of Slavists (Sofia) 11: 387–396
• Dybo, Vladimir (2002) “Balto-Slavic Accentology and Winter's Law”, in Studia Linguarum, volume 3, Moscow, pages 295–515
• Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “pidh”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 325