Linguistic Society of America

Some Words for 'South' Author(s): Francis A. Wood Reviewed work(s): Source: Language, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Sep., 1927), pp. 184-186 Published by: Linguistic Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/409321 . Accessed: 29/12/2011 05:15
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SOME WORDS FOR 'SOUTH'

FRANCIsA. WOOD
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

1. Lat. auster 'south wind; south', australis 'southern': aurara, etc., is a well established etymology, but not sufficiently explained. Both groups of words may be referred to a base *awes- or perhaps rather e*wes- (with a- from 9), with the primary meaning 'wave, roll, rise', descriptive of fire and water. Hence *austro- was used both of the east, orient, in reference to the rising of the sun, and of the south, or rather of the south wind, as the rain-bearer, storm-bringer, thawer. For Lat. auster is described as fulmine pollens (Lucr. 5. 744), turbidus (Hor. Od. 3. 3. 4), nubilus (Prop. 2. 15, 56), humidus (Virg., G 1. 462), pluvius (Ovid, M 1. 66), and also as frigidus, hibernus, validus, vehemens. We may therefore compare Skt. opdm'geschwind; sogleich', Swed. yster 'sehr lebhaft, unblindig', OHG ustar 'gierig', ustrT 'Fleiss'; Norw. gr 'ausgelassen', Swiss ar, arig 'stiirmisch (von Wetter), wild, zornig', Bay. eurisch 'mtirrisch' (or these with IE r); Norw. qsja 'swarm out, of small animals', usla 'st6bern' (of dust or rain), usle 'coaldust', ON usli 'glowing ashes', ysja 'fire', Lat. iiro, Skt. umad 'Hitze, Glut, Dampf', etc.; vdsa-h 'Wolgeruch', Swed. 5s 'Dunst, Geruch,' OE w5s 'moisture, juice', MLG was 'Absud, Briihe, Most', wasem 'Wasserdampf, Dunst', OHG wasulun 'pluviis', Norw. vaslast 'nass werden, fliessen'. 2. Gr. evpos 'east-southeast wind' is most simply explained as *euroor *euro- from the base *ewer-, synonymous with the base discussed above. Compare OE Zar (*aura-) 'sea', ON aurigr 'wet', Norw. aura, yrja 'wimmeln', yrja 'Gewimmel; Wind mit Straubregen', gra 'rieseln; wimmeln', Swed. gra 'st6bern, wirbeln, fliegen, spritzen,' ON 9ra 'Streuen, spritzen rieseln', ir 'Spriihregen, feuchter Nebel', MIr. feraim 'pour', OBulg. viriti 'quellen, sprudeln, wallen, sieden, kochen', Lith. virti 'sprudeln, kochen', varvdti 'in dichten Tropfen fallen, triefen, rinnen', Skt. vdr 'water', Av. var 'rain', etc., to which may be added Lat. var 'the spring', just as other words for spring belong to No. 1. 3. Gr. vbOro'the south wind; the south or southwest quarter',
184

SOMEWORDSFOR 'SOUTH'
v67LOS'wet,

185

damp, moist, rainy; southern', vorep6s 'wet, damp', from *snot- 'flowing, wet': Lat. ndre, etc. Cf. Boisacq 673 with lit. 4. OE sib', OS s~ith 'south', OHG sund 'south wind', Germ. *sunba-, probably from pre-Germ. *snto- 'dripping, wet, thawing', related to the above (IF 4. 103). Here, rather than to swim, may belong OE sund 'water, sea, sound', ON sund 'swimming; strait, sound', syndr 'capable of swimming', synda 'swim', MLG sunt 'strait, sound', to which may belong Lat. sentina 'bilge-water', Skt. satindm 'water'. 5. Lett. jedels 'Siidwind' : no-jedinat 'abqualen, turbieren', jads 'ein b6ser Geist, Waldteufel', Lith. jitods (turbid) 'schwarz', Skt. 'ein im Wasser lebendes Ungeheuer, water-demon', base *jed- 'excite, ydda. stir 'Indra', indriydm 'Kraft, Verm6gen, up,' perhaps also in Skt. indra-7L Sinn', and also OBulg. jedro 'craxv',Russ.-ChS1. jadri 'raxbs', Russ. 'stark werden, sich kriftigen; schaumen, brausen, perlen (von u-jadrWt' Getrnken)', Serb.-Croat. jedar 'voll, kriftig, frisch, stark', Russ.-ChS1. jadro 'nucleus, testiculus', LRuss. jadr6 'Kern, Korn; Mark', jddernyj, 'kernig, dicht; frisch,' etc. (cf. Berneker I 455f.). Since *jed- 'excite, stir up, mix' is ultimately identical with *jed- 'join', compare also Lith. jedn6ti 'vereinigen, verbinden, versahnen', Skt. ya'daminah 'verbunden mit', etc. Cf. author, Post-Cons. w in IE, LANGUAGE MONOGRAPHS 3. 18 (in press). A synonymous base *jebh- occurs in Czech jebati 'bewegen, riihren; schimpfen; futuere', jebati se 'sich fortpacken', Pol. jebac' 'schlagen; schimpfen; futuere', Skt. ydbhati 'futuit', Gr. O'pvpos (*jebhuro'stormy, turbidus') 'a westerly wind', represented as stormy, rainy, ?6~pos 'darkness, gloom'; and *jeg- or *jegh- in Russ. dial. jdglyj 'heftig; eifrig; geschwind', jdglit' 'brennen vor Begierde',-s'a 'sich riihren, sich bewegen, vorwirts gehen', Skt. ydkhati 'eilt vorwdirts, verfolgt', yakpdm 'iibernatiirliches Wesen, geisterhafte Erscheinung', Gr. ixav&,xap 'vehement desire'. 7rtLOvyeZv, 6. OBulg. jugq' (*jougo-), LRuss. juh 'Siiden, Siidwind', juhd 'warmer Wind', jithovy 'siidlich; brennend, warm', Slov. jug, gen. jiga 'Tauwind; Siiden', jugovina 'Tauwetter', od-ji*iti se 'auftauen', jzi2ina 'Mittagessen; Jause, Vesper', etc. (cf. Berneker I 457): OE gqocer (*jeugro'hot, bitter') 'full of hardship, sad', NHG Swiss giecht 'Entziindung, eiternder Zustand einer Wunde; Erbitterung, Hass, Zorn', Goth. jiukos Zornausbriiche; 6pC0daC, Streitereien', jiukan 'kiimpfen', MHG 'Ovpot, in base 'prurire', *jeuyuvdti, yd'uti 'vermengt', Lith. jauti 'heisses jucken Wasser dariiber schiitten,' Lett. jdut 'Teig machen, einriihren', Lat.

186

FRANCISA. WOOD

jis 'broth, soup; juice, liquid', Skt. yiia- 'broth', etc. Cf. author,
Post-Cons. w in IE 16.

7. Lith. pietiis 'Mittagessen,Mittagszeit; Siden', pietwy's 'Siidwind', from *peitu-'swelling,gushing',appliedto the south wind as moistureof broth for food. The bringing,melting, and also to the preparation as noon of this word meal, midday, south' meaning'meal, explanation in No. 6. CompareLat. is improbable,just as it is equally improbable pituita 'slime, clammy moisture;a gummy moisture that exudes from 'pine tree', base *pei- 'swell, gush' in Gr. ribbw 'gush trees', Gr. irLrvs
forth', irizba 'spring, fountain',
7r6'w

'fat', riaial

'fatten; increase;

make wanton', Lith. pieva 'Wiese', Skt. pIvan- 'swelling, fat', payate 'swell', etc.