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STEDT #533

*rey ⪤ *s-rwi(y)

OBSCURE INTERNAL CHANNEL / CORD / STRING / CREEPER / CANE / RATTAN
Proto-Tibeto-Burman · exemplary

Reconstruction analysis

handlehrwəyprefixsinitialrwrhymeəycoverH · W

Intermediate reconstructions

Kuki-Chin*ruy ⪤ *hruy ‘ROPE / CORD / STRING / RATTAN’PKC #967
Central Naga (Ao Group)*a-(h)rəj ‘CANE, RATTAN’PCN #110
Tangkhulic*hroj ‘ROPE / STRING / THREAD NEEDLE’DRM#756
Karenic*reᴮ ‘RATTAN’TL#235

Connections

HPTB*krəw ‘thread / string / plait’p. 199
HPTB*s-rwi(y) ‘cane / rattan / rope’pp. 197, 218
HPTB*rey ‘cane / rattan / rope’pp. 48, 206, 217, 218

Notes

The basic meaning of this etymon seems to be ‘cord, string’. It also appears in a large number of compounds referring to “OICC’s” (obscure internal channels and connections), such as NERVE, VEIN, MUSCLE, SINEW. In addition it appears in compounds for UMBILICAL CORD, thence by extension to NAVEL itself. For the concept of “OICC’s”, see VSTB pp. 184-5.

STC sets up two roots with the meaning ‘cane, rattan’, STC #478 *rey and STC #201 *s-rwi(y), which I am collapsing into a single set. The meaning of this etymon ranges from ‘string, cord’ to ‘OICC’ to the specific plants ‘cane, rattan’.

Several Himalayish forms which look superficially as if they descend from this morpheme are actually loans from Sanskrit nālī ~ nāḍī ‘any tubular vessel or vein of the body’ (Monier-Williams:537): Sunwar nāːri ‘nerve’, Newar hi◦nu(li) ‘blood vessel; vein; artery’ (hi ‘blood’ < PTB *s-hywəy),1 Bahing sãːti ‘vein, blood vessel’, Bantawa tshum-buri ‘umbilical cord’, Khaling 'sö◦ri ‘nerve’. A couple of Barish forms, Bodo na-ri and Lalung na-ti ‘navel’ (Balawan 1965:42), are also probably borrowings from this Sanskrit word, despite the semantic difference. Note that r and t/d are frequently confused in Barish languages. (Cf. the language name Bodo ~ Boro).

Chinese comparandum

纍/累/縲 OC *li̯wər, GSR #577f, r-s ‘wind around, bind, rope’; Schuessler 2007:346 *rui; B & S 2011: *roj {[r]oj}; Mand. léi.
櫐/藟 OC *li̯wər, GSR #577e, g ‘creeping plant’; Schuessler 2007:346 *ruiʔ; Mand. lěi.
綸 OC *li̯wən, GSR #470e ‘woof; twist a thread; cord’; Schuessler 2007:370 *run; B & S 2011: *k.run {k.ru[n]}; Mand. lún.

1 See HPTB:194.

Reflexes & cognates115 reflexes · 30 subgroups

0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)7

*Tibeto-Burmanrey ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053
*Tibeto-Burmanrey ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 610
*Tibeto-Burmanrey ‘string, thread’LaPolla 87: 151
*Tibeto-Burmanrwi(y) ‘cane (plant)’Benedict 72 STC: 201
*Tibeto-Burmans-rwi(y) ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 611

1.1.2Deng1

Digarotərui ⪤ təroi ‘cane plant’Benedict 72 STC: 201

1.2Kuki-Chin2

*Chinruy ⪤ hruy ‘ROPE / CORD / STRING / RATTAN’VanBik 09 PKC: 967
*Kukihrwi ‘cane plant’Benedict 72 STC: 201

1.2.1.1Northern Chin1

Paitegui ‘rope, cord’VanBik 09 PKC: 967

1.2.1.2Southern Plains Chin3

Cho (Mindat)gui ‘rope, string’VanBik 09 PKC: 967
Daaiɣɨ¹ ‘cord’VanBik 09 PKC: 967
Khumivuuy ‘vine type with thorns, used to make baskets; string on a zither’VanBik 09 PKC: 967

1.2.2Central Chin4

Lai (Hakha)hrîi ‘rope, cord, rattan’VanBik 09 PKC: 967
Lai (Falam)hríi ‘rope, cord’VanBik 09 PKC: 967
Lushai [Mizo]hrǔi ‘rope, cord, cane, string, a creeper’VanBik 09 PKC: 967

1.2.3Maraic7

Lakher [Mara]khàw-hrí ‘cord, string’VanBik 09 PKC: 967

1.3.1Central Naga (Ao Group)15

*Central Nagaaprefix-(h)rəj ‘CANE, RATTAN’Bruhn 14 PCN: III.110
*Aoaprefix-hɹə ‘CANE, RATTAN’Bruhn 14 PCN: II.303
Ao (Chungli)a³prefix-ɹə¹ n.‘cane, rattan’Bruhn 14 PCN: II.303
Ao (Chungli)aprefix◦rer ‘creeper’Marrison 67 Naga
Ao (Chungli)³aprefix¹r ‘cane’Weidert 87 TBTo: 927
Ao (Mongsen: Longchang)aprefix◦rü ‘creeper’Marrison 67 Naga
Ao (Mongsen: Mangmetong)[a]prefix-hɹə n.‘cane, rattan’Coupe 07 Ao
Lotha Nagao¹prefix-rəʔ³ n.‘cane, rattan’Bruhn 14 PCN: III.110
Lotha Nagaoprefix◦rru n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Lotha Nagaoprefix◦rü ‘cane’Murry 78: 14
Lotha Nagarə̄◦phàmorpheme ‘roll of cane’Acharya 75
Lotha Naga¹oprefix³rɯ ‘cane’Weidert 87 TBTo: 927
Yacham-Tengsaaprefix◦lhu n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Yimchungrü²tiprefix◦²re [¹] ‘cane’Weidert 87 TBTo: 101

1.3.2Angami-Pochuri Group8

Angami (Khonoma)keprefix◦re ‘creeper’Marrison 67 Naga
Angami (Khonoma)keprefix◦re n‘rope’Marrison 67 Naga
Angami (Khonoma)keprefix◦ro ‘creeper’Marrison 67 Naga
Angami (Kohima)keprefix◦rie ‘creeper’Marrison 67 Naga
Rengmateprefix◦ra n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Rengma (Southern)¹tʌprefix³ri ‘cane’Weidert 87 TBTo: 754
Sema [Sumi]akemorpheme◦ghi n‘rope’Marrison 67 Naga
Sema [Sumi]akemorpheme◦ghi ‘thread’Marrison 67 Naga

1.3.3Zeme Group4

Khoiraosamorpheme◦rui n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Zemebungmorpheme◦rui ‘creeper’Marrison 67 Naga

1.3.4Tangkhulic8

*Tangkhulichroj ‘rope / string / thread needle’Mortensen 12 Tk: 756
Tangkhulkhəprefix◦rùy ‘string flowers’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 176
Tangkhulruy ‘string’Bhat 69 TNV: 98
Tangkhulrɯ ‘creeper’Bhat 69 TNV: 87
Tangkhul¹khəmorpheme²rə ‘cane’Weidert 87 TBTo: 101
Tangkhul¹məmorpheme¹thimorpheme²rə ‘cane’Weidert 87 TBTo: 101
Tusomʔəmorpheme-hrɯ ‘rope’Mortensen 12 Tk: Implements.027
Ukhrulkʰəmorpheme-ruj ‘thread a needle to string flowers’Mortensen 12 Tk

1.7.1.1Bodo3

Dimasarai n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Dimasarai ‘rattan, cane’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053
Dimasarai ‘rattan, cane’LaPolla 87: 151

1.7.1.3Koch1

Atongganmorpheme◦dy#520 PTB *du ‘NAVEL / UMBILICAL CORD’◦rui n‘bellybutton, navel’van Breugel 08 Atong

1.7.2Northern Naga/Konyakian2

*Northern Nagarey ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053

1.7.2.1Tangsa-Nocte5

Nocteri n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Nocteri ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053
Tangsa (Moshang)ri ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053

1.7.2.2Konyak-Chang7

Changli n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Changli ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053
Konyakwei n‘cane’Marrison 67 Naga
Konyakwei ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053
Wanchore ‘cane / rattan / rope’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 053

1.7.3.1Jingpho4

Jingphoginmorpheme◦ri ‘fine thread’LaPolla 87: 151
Jingphori ‘rattan, cane, cord, string’LaPolla 87: 151
Jingphosum³³prefixʒi³³ ‘rope’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 422.47
Jingphosumprefix◦ri, śiŋprefix-ri n‘rope, cord’Marrison 67 Naga

2.1.3Lepcha1

2.4Kham-Magar-Chepang1

3.2Qiangic6

Namuyiʐ ɿ⁵⁵ ‘rope’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 422.19
Namuyiʐɿ⁵⁵ n‘rope / string’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 0619.46
Qiang (Taoping)sia³³morpheme li⁵⁵ ‘string, thread’LaPolla 87: 151
Qiang (Taoping)siɑ³³morphemeli⁵⁵ ‘thread’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 421.9
Xumire⁵⁵ n‘rope / string’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 0619.17
Xumirɐ³⁵ ‘rope’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 422.20

3.3rGyalrongic1

Ergong (Danba)sɯmorpheme ʐi ‘rope’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 422.14

4Nungic8

Anongbanmorpheme-ri ‘rope, string’LaPolla 87: 151
Anongsəprefix◦ri ‘thread’LaPolla 87: 151
Anongthəprefix◦ri ‘cane’LaPolla 87: 151
Anong (Rawang)təprefix◦ri ‘cane’Benedict 72 STC: 56n185
Trung [Dulong] (Dulonghe)tsɯ³¹morpheme ri⁵⁵ ‘string, thread’LaPolla 87: 151
Trung [Dulong] (Nujiang)pɯ³¹morpheme ɹi⁵³ ‘navel’Sun H 82 Dul
Trung [Dulong] (Nujiang)tsɯ³¹morpheme ri⁵³ ‘string, thread’LaPolla 87: 151

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #533, *rey ⪤ *s-rwi(y) ‘OBSCURE INTERNAL CHANNEL / CORD / STRING / CREEPER / CANE / RATTAN’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/533
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
References: STC#478 *rey, STC #201 *rwi(y)
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-533,
  title  = {{*rey ⪤ *s-rwi(y) 'OBSCURE INTERNAL CHANNEL / CORD / STRING / CREEPER / CANE / RATTAN'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #533},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/533}
}