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STEDT #2358

*kuːŋ

TREE / BRANCH / STEM
Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Reconstruction analysis

handlekuːŋinitialkrhymeuːŋcoverK · N

Intermediate reconstructions

Kuki-Chin*ku(u)ŋ ‘STALK / TREE / TRUNK’PKC #313

Connections

HPTB*kuːŋ ‘tree / branch / stem’pp. 287, 310

Notes

Coblin (1986: 47) suggests a relationship between this PTB root and Chinese 弓 (Mand. gōng) ‘bow’, the semantic connection residing in the shape of a bent tree branch. Cf. Written Burmese ə-kuing ‘stalk, branch’, kuing ‘hang over in a curve’, ə-kùing ‘large branch, bough of tree’.

Jingpho has forms with medial -ji- (lă³¹kji̱ŋ³¹ ‘branch / twig’ [TBL], phun⁵⁵lă³¹kji̱n³¹ ‘branch’ [ZMYYC]), which are perhaps related to the present root.

Chinese comparandum

弓 OC *ki̯ŭng, GSR #901a-d ‘bow (n.)’; Coblin 86:47 ST *kjəngw > OC *kjəngw; Schuessler 2007:255 *kwəŋ; B & S 2011: *kʷəŋ; Mand. gōng.

Reflexes & cognates49 reflexes · 16 subgroups

0Sino-Tibetan (previously published reconstructions)1

*Sino-Tibetankjəngw ‘bow / (bent) tree branch’Coblin 86: 47

0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)4

*Tibeto-Burmankuːŋ ‘tree / branch / stem’Chou 72: 901a-d
*Tibeto-Burmankuːŋ ‘tree / branch / stem’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 597
*Tibeto-Burmankuːŋ ‘tree, branch, stem’Benedict 72 STC: 359

1.2Kuki-Chin1

*Chinku(u)ŋ ‘STALK / TREE / TRUNK’VanBik 09 PKC: 313

1.2.1.2Southern Plains Chin1

Khumikiiwng ‘tree, bush; tree trunk; plant in general, stem’VanBik 09 PKC: 313

1.2.2Central Chin5

Lai (Falam)kúuŋ ‘stalk, trunk’VanBik 09 PKC: 313
Lushai [Mizo]kûung n‘trunk of a tree, the stem of a plant’VanBik 09 PKC: 313
Lushai [Mizo]kuːng ‘tree; plant’Bhaskararao 96 CDB: 695

1.2.3Maraic1

1.3.1Central Naga (Ao Group)1

Ao (Chungli)kuŋ²saŋ²morpheme n.‘branch’Bruhn 14 SuppCN

1.3.4Tangkhulic1

Tangkhulkóŋ ‘stem’Bhat 69 TNV: 98

2.1.3Lepcha9

Lepchaamorpheme◦kuŋ ‘bush’Benedict 72 STC: 359
Lepchakóng n.‘branch’Plaisier 07 Lepcha
Lepchakúng n.‘tree’Plaisier 07 Lepcha
Lepchakúng◦bóngmorpheme n.‘tree stump’Plaisier 07 Lepcha
Lepchakuŋ ‘tree, branch, stem’Benedict 72 STC: 359
Lepchapalákmorpheme kúng n.‘palák tree, Ostodes paniculata’Plaisier 07 Lepcha
Lepchasamálmorpheme◦kúng n.‘toon tree, Cedrela toona’Plaisier 07 Lepcha
Lepchatítmorpheme-remorpheme◦kúng n.‘tamarind tree’Plaisier 07 Lepcha
Lepchatukpómorpheme◦kúng n.‘peach tree’Plaisier 07 Lepcha

6.1.1Burmish11

Burmese (Written)ămorpheme◦khuiŋ ‘stalk, branch’Benedict 72 STC: 182n479
Burmese (Written)aprefix◦kuiṅ: n‘branch’Marrison 67 Naga
Burmese (Written)ăprefix◦kuìŋ ‘branch (large-), bough’Benedict 72 STC: 182n479
Burmese (Written)ămorpheme◦kuìŋ ‘large branch, bough’Benedict 72 STC: 359
Burmese (Written)kûiŋ ‘hang over in a curve’Benedict 76 WBur
Burmese (Written)ɑ̌prefix◦khuiŋ ‘stalk / branch’Chou 72: 901a-d
Burmese (Written)ɑ̌prefix◦kuiŋ ‘large branch / bough’Chou 72: 901a-d
Burmese (Written)əprefix-khuiŋ ‘stalk, branch’Benedict 76 WBur
Burmese (Written)əprefix-kûiŋ ‘large branch, bough of tree’Benedict 76 WBur
Burmese (Written)əprefix◦khuiŋ ‘stalk / branch’Weidert 87 TBTo: 263
Burmese (Written)əprefix◦kuìŋ ‘branch’Weidert 87 TBTo: 263

9.0.1Old Chinese2

Chinese (Old)kjəngw ‘bow / (bent) tree branch’Coblin 86: 47

9.0.2Middle Chinese1

9.0.3Modern Chinese2

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #2358, *kuːŋ ‘TREE / BRANCH / STEM’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/2358
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
References: cf. HPTB pp. 287, 310, STC#359
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-2358,
  title  = {{*kuːŋ 'TREE / BRANCH / STEM'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #2358},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/2358}
}