Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-dʰrom

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.

*-dʰlom, *-tlom, *-trom

Variant of *-trom.

Sometimes hypothesized to have developed from assimilation to a preceding voiced aspirate^[1] (compare Bartholomae's law in Indo-Iranian). Sihler describes this as the usual explanation and considers it "the only remotely plausible" one if the *t- forms of the suffix are original, but says it is problematic, noting that this form of the suffix is not attested in contexts like Greek λέκτρον (léktron) (from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-) even though, under this hypothesis, the *-dʰ-initial variants would have originated in words like this.^[2]

Based on the contexts in which it occurs, Olsen 1988 argues that it actually originated from coalescence of a voiceless laryngeal (*h₁ or *h₂) with the following *-t-, initially resulting in a voiceless aspirate, which is proposed to have merged with the outcome of voiced aspirates in the languages in which this allomorph is attested.^[3]

*-dʰrom n

1. Alternative form of *-trom

• Proto-Hellenic: *-tʰron, *-tʰrē
  • Ancient Greek: -θρον (-thron), -θρη (-thrē)
• Proto-Italic: *-ðrom, *-ðrā
  • Latin: -brum, -bra