From two bilingual inscriptions we know Etruscan netśvis, netśrac are respectively equivalent to Latin haruspex 'adivinator'1 and haruspīcina 'adivination'. This leaves us with an Etruscan word *netś-, *nethś- 'entrails', surely a loanword from Greek nēdús 'stomach, belly, womb'.
The etymology of the Greek word is itself problematic. I think this could be a Thracian loanword parallel to Lithuanian vidùs 'middle, interior' < IE *(d)ui-dhH1-u-, a compound from *(d)ui- '2' and *dheH1- 'to make, to put' whose Celtic and Germanic reflexes mean 'wood, forest, tree'2. This is also the origin of Latin dīvidō 'to divide' < *dis-widhH1-.
Etruscan visc- 'center', attested in visc ame ren-s '(this) is the center of the hand', could be explained from an derivated form *(d)ui-dhH1-sk-. This word was in turn borrowed into Latin vīscus, vīsceris 'entrails.
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1 Itself a compound from IE *g´hor- 'guts' and *(s)pek´- 'to look'.
2 This would imply forests were considered as a hinterland, an intermediate region between inhabited settlements. Interestingly, the Baltic reflexes of IE *medh-jo- 'middle' mean 'wood, forest, tree'.
2 This would imply forests were considered as a hinterland, an intermediate region between inhabited settlements. Interestingly, the Baltic reflexes of IE *medh-jo- 'middle' mean 'wood, forest, tree'.
Nēdús is problematic because it is not a Greek word...it is pre-Greek (Minoan) which is why the word in Etruscan looks similar
ReplyDeleteSee, Robert S. Beekes paper on this about Pre-Greek words in Greek.
http://iedo.brillonline.nl/dictionaries/content/greek/loanwords.html
Nēdús is problematic because it is not a Greek word...
ReplyDeleteNo, it is, as long you can pick it up in any Greek dictionary. But another thing is the question whether it's actually native or not.
it is pre-Greek (Minoan) which is why the word in Etruscan looks similar
I think you mean a pre-Greek language related to Minoan, because Minoan can't actually be "pre-Greek" in a proper sense (Crete isn't mainland Greece).
There're also other Greek loanwords in Etruscan.
Etruscan also has a Semitic substrate, it is either Phoenician or Ugaritic.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I could get you to admit what you did...like trying to squeeze water from a rock...hahaha
Well, I said that Pre-Greek is Minoan because many have noticed the strong correspondence of words in Pre-Greek with what is known about Minoan. I am not the only or first one to say that Pre-Greek and Minoan are one in the same. Beekes insinuates, but never says what the language is likely to be...he does say it is definitely not Indo-European.
Yes, I agree Greek has substrate loanwords from some language related to Minoan. We could call Aegean this family, which would probably also include Etrocypriot.
ReplyDeleteBut Etruscan and its nearest relatives (Lemnian, Rhaetic) would belong to a Tyrrhenian group a bit more distantly related.
In any case, IMHO these languages would belong to the Vasco-Caucasian macro-family.
I am glad I could get you to admit what you did...like trying to squeeze water from a rock...hahaha
Mi no entender nada.