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De Vaan 2008 derives Latin -plex from Proto-Italic*-pleks, from the e-grade of the root *pleḱ-, and Greek -πλαξ(-plax) from Proto-Indo-European*-pl̥ḱ-, the zero-grade ablaut variant of the same root. De Vaan considers the meaning and etymology of the Umbrian form to be unclear.[2] At the same time, De Vaan reconstructs simplex as coming from Proto-Italic*sm̥-plak-s.[4]
Others accept the Umbrian form as a cognate, which suggests Proto-Italic*-plaks: this complicates the etymology from *pleḱ-(“to plait, to weave”). Flemestad and Olsen 2017 treat all three of duplex, 𐌕𐌖𐌐𐌋𐌀𐌊(tuplak), and δίπλαξ(díplax) as cognates, and prefer to derive them from the root *pel-(“fold”) combined with a suffix *-ak-.[5]
Some argue that Greek -πλαξ(-plax) is not from *pleḱ-(“to plait, to weave”), but from an unrelated root found in πλάξ(pláx, “surface”), which van Beek 2022 identifies as coming from *plek‑(“to strip, flay”).[6]
^ Kent, Roland G. (1932) “The Sounds of Latin. A Descriptive and Historical Phonology”, in Language, volume 8, number 3, →JSTOR, page 103
↑ 2.02.1De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “-plex”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 473
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “-sem-, sim-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 553
^ Flemestad, Peder, Olsen, Birgit Anette (2017) “Sabellic Textile Terminology”, in Textile Terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD, →DOI, page 219
^ Lucien van Beek (2022) “Chapter 10 The Reflexes of *l̥”, in The Reflexes of Syllabic Liquids in Ancient Greek, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, →ISBN
^ Coleman, Robert (1992) “Chapter 12: Italic”, in Jadranka Gvozdanović, editor, Indo-European Numerals, Mouton de Gruyter, page 423