Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/geistlos

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 *gʰeydʰ- (“desire, wait for”), apparently interpreted as "one who waits (to be released)". Cognate with Lithuanian geidžiù (“to desire”), Proto-Slavic *žьdati (“to await”).^[1]

Noun

*geistlos m

hostage
bail

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*geistlos	*geistlou	*geistloi
vocative	*geistle	*geistlou	*geistloi
accusative	*geistlom	*geistlou	*geistloms
genitive	*geistlī	*geistlous	*geistlom
dative	*geistlūi	*geistlobom	*geistlobos
locative	*geistlei	*?	*?
instrumental	*geistlū	*geistlobim	*geistlūis

Descendants

Proto-Brythonic: *guɨstl
- Old Breton: guistl
  - Middle Breton: goestl
    - Breton: gouestl
- Old Cornish: guistel
  - Cornish: gostel
- Middle Welsh: gwystyl, gwystl
  - Welsh: gwystl
Old Irish: gíall
- Middle Irish: gíall
  - Irish: giall (“hostage, human pledge”)
  - Scottish Gaelic: giall
- ⇒ Middle Irish: gíallacht
Gaulish: geistlus
→ Proto-Germanic: *gīslaz (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*gēstlo-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 159

[1] Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*gēstlo-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 159

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