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STEDT #641

*ti-k

PENIS
Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Reconstruction analysis

handletiinitialtrhymei-kcoverT · VT

Intermediate reconstructions

Karenic*teᴮ ‘PENIS’
Karenic*théʔ ‘PENIS’
Karenic*théq ‘PENIS’

Notes

This etymon is well-attested in Karenic and apparently also in Lolo-Burmese (see note above under #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li PENIS), with scattered but good-looking cognates in the NE Indian Areal Group (Meithei), Himalayish, and Asakian (Jingpho-Asakian).

In Chart L (Sak-Luish Group) of Luce 1985, under the confusing gloss “Penis/Testicles”, two forms are given from Bawtala Sak, one from Dodem Sak, two from Ganan, and two from Kadu (Kantu). Where two forms are given from the same language, separated by a semicolon, I have assumed that the first one means ‘penis’ and the second one ‘testicles’, and have reglossed them accordingly. Under this interpretation, some syllables are assigned to the present root; while others, phonologically quite similar, are taken to mean ‘testicle’, and are assigned to #300 PTB *d(w)əy EGG / TESTICLE, above [q.v.].

Rather arbitrarily, I assign reflexes with stop initials to this root and those with fricated or palatalized initials to #1601 PTB *dzi PENIS.

Like the previous etymology #3420 PTB *k-tu-k PENIS, some reflexes of this root have a final -k.

The resemblance to English dick appears entirely accidental.

Reflexes & cognates60 reflexes · 10 subgroups

1.4Meithei1

2.1.1Western Himalayish1

Bunantig◦pasuffix ‘testicle’Sharma, S.R. 91 Bu: 10.3.5

2.1.2.1Tibetan1

Tibetan (Written)tʻig-lemorpheme ‘semen virile; contemplation’This curious form receives four glosses in Jäschke, p. 231: (1) ‘spot (as on a leopard)’; (2) ‘zero, naught’; (3) ‘semen virile’; (4) ‘contemplation’. Jäschke remarks that the last two senses are “mystically connected with each other” in Buddhist thought. (The sense of ‘naught’ seems like a recent extension of ‘spot’, since a small zero looks like a dot.) On a priori semantic grounds, another WT word, t'igs-pa ‘drop (of liquid)’ also looks like it might be related; but in other Himalayish languages similar forms have no liquid associations, e.g. Bunan tig-pa ‘testicle’ and Lepcha t'ik ‘penis’. It looks as if ‘spot/zero’ and ‘semen/contemplation’ are mere homophones.Matisoff 87 BP

2.1.3Lepcha3

Lepchat'ik-uṅmorpheme ‘sperma genitale; semen’Mainwaring 98: 151
Lepchatʻik ‘penis’Matisoff 87 BP

6.1.2.2Central Loloish9

Sani [Nyi]dæ³³ ‘penis’Wu 84: 78.1
Sani [Nyi]dæ³³ ɬɑ³³morpheme ṉˌ⁴⁴morpheme mɑ³³morpheme ‘testicles’Wu 84: 78.2
Sani [Nyi]dɛ³³ ‘penis’Chen 86 Yi
Sani [Nyi]dɛ³³ɬɒ³³morphemeni̱³³morphememɒ³³morpheme ‘testicles’Wu 84
Sani [Nyi]tæ³³ ɬɑ³³morpheme mɑ³³morpheme ‘penis’Ma 89 SanQ: 314.5
Sani [Nyi]tæ³³ ɬɑ³³morpheme n̩⁴⁴morpheme ‘testicles’Ma 89 SanQ: 314.6
Sani [Nyi]tæ³³ɬɑ³³morphememɑ³³morpheme ‘penis’Chen 86 Yi: 10.3.1
Sani [Nyi]tæ³³ɬɑ³³morphemen̩⁴⁴morpheme ‘testicle’Chen 86 Yi: 10.3.5

7Karenic31

*Karen (Pwo)théq ‘penis’Jones 61: 531
*Karen (Sgaw)théʔ ‘penis’Jones 61: 531
Bwe (Western)cʻɪ² ‘penis’Luce 85: J.220
Gebaăprefix◦tʻi² ‘penis’Luce 85: J.220
Kayahthi¹¹ ‘penis’Luangthongkum 13: 216
Kayanthai¹¹ ‘penis’Luangthongkum 13: 216
Kayawthi¹¹ ‘penis’Luangthongkum 13: 216
Pa-Otê ‘penis’Matisoff 87 BP
Pa-Otê ‘penis’Jones 61: 531
Pakutʻe³ ‘penis’Luce 85: J.220
Pwo (Delta)tʻe⁴ ‘penis’Luce 85: J.220
Pwo (Moulmein)théʔ ‘penis’Jones 61: 531
Sgaw (Southern)the⁴⁵’ ‘penis’Luangthongkum 13: 216
Sgawtʻe⁴ ‘penis’Luce 85: J.220

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #641, *ti-k ‘PENIS’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/641
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-641,
  title  = {{*ti-k 'PENIS'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #641},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/641}
}