Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/péysks

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.

Limited to West Indo-European, which has led to some speculation of a substrate borrowing. Alternatively reconstructed as a vṛddhi derivative of a sḱ-present verb:

• *peyḱsḱ- (“something painted, spotted”), from *piḱ-sḱé-ti, from *peyḱ- (“to paint, mark; spotted”), compare semantics of Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), Old Irish erc (“perch”), Proto-Germanic *furhnō (“trout”), from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (“colored, speckled”);^[1]
• *peytsḱ- (“something nourishing, food”), from *pit-sḱé-ti, from *péyh₂tu (“something fattening, nourishing”), cognate with Proto-Indo-Iranian *piHtú (“fat; food”), Proto-Slavic *piťa (“food”);^[2][3]
• *peysḱ- (“something winged, finned”), cognate with Sanskrit पिच्छ (piccha, “tail feather, wing”), Czech pisk (“young feather”),^[4][5] perhaps further related to Proto-West Germanic *finnā (“fin”), Latin pinna (“wing, feather, fin”), from *(s)peyh₂-; also compare semantics of Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “feather, wing, fin”), Sanskrit पक्ष (pakṣa, “wing, fin”);
• or *peysḱ- (“something soft tissued”), cognate with Sanskrit पिच्छ (piccha, “calf (of the leg)”), compare semantics of Proto-Slavic *jьkra (“fish roe; calf of leg”), Dutch kuit (“fish roe; calf of leg”).^[1]

*péysks m^[6][7]

1. (West Indo-European) fish

   Synonym: *dʰǵʰu- (eastern dialects, not including Albanian and Indo-Iranian)

• *peyḱsḱ-^[1]
• *peysḱ-^[5]
• *peytsḱ-^[2][3]