Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/ɸitu

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 Proto-Indo-European *péy-tu-s ~ *pi-téw-s (proterokinetic tu-stem) (whence Sanskrit पितु (pitú, “nutrition”), Avestan 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬎 (pitu, “food”)), from *pey- (“food, nutrition”) +‎ *-tus.^[1] Cognate with Proto-Slavic *piťa, Lithuanian piẽtūs (“dinner”, pl.), Boeotian Greek πιτεύω (piteúō, “to irrigate, to water (cattle)”).

Noun

*ɸitu n^[2]

corn, grain

Reconstruction notes

This word may still have declined hysterokinetically in Proto-Celtic, with root ablaut: nom.sg. *ɸētu, gen.sg. *ɸitows. The former, strong, stem developed into Old Irish íath (“land”); the latter, weak, stem gave ith (“corn, grain”).^[3]

Declension

Neuter u-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ɸitu	*ɸitū	*ɸitwā
vocative	*ɸitu	*ɸitū	*ɸitwā
accusative	*ɸitu	*ɸitū	*ɸitwā
genitive	*ɸitous	*ɸitous	*ɸitowom
dative	*ɸitou	*ɸitubom	*ɸitubos
locative	*?	*?	*?
instrumental	*ɸitū	*ɸitubim	*ɸitubis

Derived terms

*ɸitulandā

Related terms

*ɸiteti (“to eat”)

Descendants

Proto-Brythonic: *ɨd (“corn, grain”)
- Middle Breton: et, eth, yt
  - Breton: ed
- Old Cornish: yd
  - Middle Cornish: eys, ys
  - ⇒ Old Cornish: hitaduer
- Middle Welsh: yt
  - Welsh: ŷd
Old Irish: ith n (“corn, grain”)
- Irish: ioth
Gaulish: *itu^[4]
- ⇒ Latin: Itius, Ittu (personal name)

References

^ Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 139: "The most likely explanation, however, is simply the existence of a (nominal) root *pei-̯ ‘corn, grain, food’ as well as *peiH̯ - ‘swell up’."
^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*fitu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 131
^ Kim McCone (1994) “An tSean-Ghaeilge agus a Réamhstair”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, section 18.1, page 115
^ Delamarre, Xavier (2003) “iutta”, in Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental [Dictionary of the Gaulish language: A linguistic approach to Old Continental Celtic] (Collection des Hespérides; 9), 2nd edition, Éditions Errance, →ISBN, page 435

[1] Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 139: "The most likely explanation, however, is simply the existence of a (nominal) root *pei-̯ ‘corn, grain, food’ as well as *peiH̯ - ‘swell up’."

[2] Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*fitu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 131

[3] Kim McCone (1994) “An tSean-Ghaeilge agus a Réamhstair”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, section 18.1, page 115

[DLG-4] Delamarre, Xavier (2003) “iutta”, in Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental [Dictionary of the Gaulish language: A linguistic approach to Old Continental Celtic] (Collection des Hespérides; 9), 2nd edition, Éditions Errance, →ISBN, page 435

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