STEDT
The Body  ›  Reproductive System  ›  Copulate
STEDT #1154

*ləw-k

COPULATE
Proto-Tibeto-Burman · exemplary

Reconstruction analysis

handleləwinitiallrhymeəwcoverL · W

Intermediate reconstructions

Kuki-Chin*luu-I, luuk-II ‘COPULATE / INTERCOURSE’PKC #1003
Lolo-Burmese*ləw² ‘COPULATE / PENIS’

Notes

This etymon is fairly well attested in TB as a whole, especially in Himalayish and Chin, but also in Lolo-Burmese (Burmese), and Qiangic (rGyalrong). Judging from the Burmese gloss in Judson 1893/1966, it seems to be connected with the notion of piercing or penetrating.

The allofam with final -k is attested not only in the Form-II of verbs in several Chin languages, but also in Chepang. The Form-I of Chin verbs, as well as the Kiranti and Burmese forms, reflect the open-syllable allofam.

Reflexes & cognates27 reflexes · 15 subgroups

1.2Kuki-Chin2

*Chinluu ⪤ luuk ‘copulate’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003
*Chinluu-I, luuk-II ‘COPULATE / INTERCOURSE’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003

1.2.1.1Northern Chin2

Thadolûu ~ lûʔ ‘copulate’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003
Tiddimluː¹ ~ luːk¹ ‘copulate’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003

1.2.1.2Southern Plains Chin2

Cho (Mindat)luk ~ luuk ‘penetrate sexually, possess a woman’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003
Khumiliiw ‘have intercourse with’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003

1.2.2Central Chin3

Lushai [Mizo]inmorpheme-lu-khungmorpheme ‘copulate’Matisoff 87 BP
Lushai [Mizo]lùu ~ lûuk ‘copulate’VanBik 09 PKC: 1003

1.2.3Maraic2

2.3Kiranti1

*Kirantilu- v.‘copulate’Michailovsky 91 Kr: 37

2.3.2Southern Kiranti2

Bantawalï- v.‘copulate’Michailovsky 91 Kr: 37
Bantawalü◦mamorpheme ‘copulate’Rai 84 BnDc: 47

2.3.3Central Kiranti3

Khalingle- v.‘copulate’Khaling has -e where other Kiranti languages have -u in at least two other roots: COME/BRING DOWN Hayu ju(t)-, Bahing ju(t)-, Kulung yuw-, yutt-; but Khaling ye(n)-. STEAL Hayu khu(t)-, Bahing ku(s)-, Thulung khu-, Kulung kuss-; but Khaling khe-. See Michailovsky 1991, Proto-Kiranti, pp. 15, 34.Michailovsky 91 Kr: 37

2.3.4Western Kiranti4

Bahinglu- v.‘copulate’Michailovsky 91 Kr: 37
Sunwarluː- v.‘copulate’Michailovsky 91 Kr: 37
Sunwarluː-cāmorpheme ‘copulate’Matisoff 87 BP
Thulungle- v.‘copulate’Michailovsky 91 Kr: 37

3.3.1rGyalrong2

rGyalrongtaprefix lu kamorpheme pamorpheme v.‘copulate’Dai 89 Jiar: 10.2
rGyalrong (Eastern)taprefix◦lu kamorpheme pamorpheme v‘copulate’Sun H 91 rEQ: 10.2

6.1Lolo-Burmese1

*Lolo-Burmeseləw² ‘copulate / penis’Matisoff 93 PC

6.1.1Burmish2

Burmese (Written)luî ‘pierce in coitus (from Ak. sheet)’Matisoff 87 BP: 85
Burmese (Written)lûi ‘pierce in coitus (vulg.)’Benedict 76 WBur

6.1.2.3Southern Loloish1

Akhaa˯prefix◦loe˯ ‘penis’This Akha reflex is to be referred to the present etymon, rather than to #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li PENIS, since Akha -oe is the regular reflex of PTB *-əw (e.g. STEAL *r-kəw > Akha k'oe˯ ; WEEP *ŋəw > Ak. ngoeˇ). For the Akha reflex of PLB *r-lik ‘testicle’, see leh˰, above #1286 PTB *r-lik TESTICLE / EGG / PENIS. See also the note on Akha beuˆ leuˆ ‘penis (polite)’, above #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li PENIS.Matisoff 87 BP

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #1154, *ləw-k ‘COPULATE’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/1154
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-1154,
  title  = {{*ləw-k 'COPULATE'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #1154},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/1154}
}