The Body › Reproductive System › Vagina

STEDT #662

*b(y)at

VAGINA

Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Reconstruction analysis

handlebyatinitialb(y)rhymeatcoverP · T

Connections

HPTB*b(y)et ‘vulva / vagina’p. 375

Notes

This root is quite widely distributed in TB, appearing in the NE Indian Areal Group, Himalayish, Lolo-Burmese (including Jinuo), and Bai. It was reconstructed as PLB *b(y)et in Matisoff 1972b #5 (The Loloish Tonal Split Revisited) and HPTB p. 375, but that has been revised here to *b(y)at to accommodate those reflexes that have -a- vocalism (e.g. WB, Kokborok, Bunan). Bradley’s (1979) PLB reconstruction without medial glide, *bat, does not account for certain Loloish reflexes with front vowels (e.g. Lahu cha-pɛ̀ʔ, since the regular Lahu reflex of *-at is -eʔ). Bauer 1991 (LTBA 14.1) treats this etymon as part of a binome *dzu(k)-byet (see #1356 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk VULVA for the first element), and adduces parallels in Hmong-Mien languages and Chinese. Benedict (1990) hypothesizes a “Proto-Austro-Kadai” binome *tu-pi (for the first element see #661 PTB *s-tu VAGINA / VULVA). These freewheeling proposals remain to be evaluated by future generations. There does not seem to be any connection between this etymon and #668 PTB *pu VAGINA, which is confined mostly to Himalayish, and whose reflexes have back vowels.

The Bai forms listed below may well be loans from Chinese.

K. P. Malla suggests that the first syllable of Newar (Dolakhali) pi-ci ‘vagina’ really means ‘breast’ (see Kathmandu Newar pi-si ‘breast’ under #276 PTB *(p/b)i ROUNDED PART / NIPPLE / FOREHEAD / SHOULDER above), but can be used euphemistically to mean ‘vagina’. In the other Himalayish forms cited here, however, this morpheme does definitely seem to mean ‘vagina’.

Chinese comparandum

According to H. Stimson 1966,¹ the taboo word 屄 (Mand. bī) does not appear in dictionaries until the 17th century. Benedict 1988² posits OC *b'iĕt, underlying such modern dialect forms as Hakka piet⁸ and Min Kienyang (建陽) pie⁷. This Chinese word may well be the source of the Baic and some of the Loloish forms listed above.
[JAM]

Chinese dialect forms of this word point to both open and closed-syllable ancestral forms, for example Schuessler 2007:161 notes Amoy (= Xiamen) tsiᴬ¹-paiᴬ². This suggests early Chinese variants *pe and *pet, the latter of which corresponds well to PTB *byat. (For the correspondence between OC *e and PTB *ya, cf. 八 OC *pret (Baxter) ‘eight’, PTB *b-ryat, Mand. bā. However Schuessler believes that this word is derived from ‘to open’ (PST *pe), with the addition of *-t marking “nouns of naturally occurring objects”. See Schuessler 2007:161, 414. This hypothesis could also explain the etymology of the PTB etymon under discussion here.
[ZJH]

1 Hugh Stimson, “A tabu word in the Peking dialect” (Language 42.2:285-294). Cited in Bauer 1991:150.

2 Untitled manuscript circulated as a handout at ICSTLL #21, Lund, Sweden.

Reflexes & cognates60 reflexes · 18 subgroups

0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)1

*Tibeto-Burmanb(y)et ‘vulva / vagina’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 586

1.1.2Deng3

Kaman [Miju]kɯ³¹morphemebiɑt⁵⁵ ‘love / like’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1126.23

Kaman [Miju]kɯ³¹morphemebiɑt⁵⁵ ‘love’The semantic association VAGINA ⟷ love has not been noted elsewhere, but the phonological fit of this form with the present etymon is perfect.Sun H 91 ZMYY: 719.48

Kaman [Miju]pɑʔ ‘vulva / vagina’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 375

1.7.3.2Asakian5

Gananpɑʔ⁴ ‘vulva’Luce 85: L.150

Kadu (Kantu)pɑʔ³ ‘vulva’Luce 85: L.150

Sak (Bawtala)ăprefix◦paᴜ² ‘vulva’Luce 85: L.150

Sak (Bawtala)ăprefix◦pɑʔ² ‘vulva’Luce 85: L.150

Sak (Dodem)ăprefix◦pɛt ‘vulva’Luce 85: L.150

2.1.2.1Tibetan1

Tibetan (Batang)pi⁵⁵ pi⁵³ ‘vagina’Dai 89 Bata: 10.4.1

2.1.4Tamangish2

Tamang (Risiangku)¹pit◦si#1349 PTB *si(ŋ/k) ‘VAGINA’ n‘vagina’Tamang ¹pit is of key importance in establishing the -t final for Himalayish.Mazaudon 91 TamQ: 10.4.1

Tamang (Sahu)¹pi-ci#1349 PTB *si(ŋ/k) ‘VAGINA’ ‘vagina’Matisoff 87 BP

2.3.4Western Kiranti3

Bahingpi-si#1349 PTB *si(ŋ/k) ‘VAGINA’ ‘vagina’Matisoff 87 BP

Hayubi◦mli#1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’MesorootsPL *(n)-li² ‘PENIS’Allofams114 #1285 PTB *m-(l/n)ey ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114a #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114b #545 PTB *m-ney ‘PENIS’ ‘genitals’This is an antonymic compound meaning literally “vagina-penis”.This is an antonymic compound meaning literally “vagina-penis”.Michailovsky 91 Kr: 138

6.1Lolo-Burmese2

*Lolo-Burmeseb(y)et (LOW)‘vulva’Matisoff 72 LTSR: 5

*Lolo-Burmeseb(y)et ‘vulva’Matisoff 72 LTSR: 5

6.1.1Burmish1

Burmese (Written)cok#1356 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk ‘VULVA’Allofams77 #3589 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk ‘VULVA / VAGINA / MOUTH / LIP’77a #1356 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk ‘VULVA’77b #478 PTB *tsyuk ‘MOUTH / LIP’-pat ‘vagina’Matisoff 87 BP

6.1.2Loloish2

*Loloishbatᴸ ‘vulva’Bradley 79 PLo: 123

Lolophotv̩⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’ bi³¹ ‘vagina’Dai 89 Lolo: 10.4.1

6.1.2.1Northern Loloish7

Gazhuopi²¹ pi⁵³ mɛ³³morpheme ‘genitalia / pudenda’Dai 89 Gazh: 10.1

Liphotu⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’bi²¹ ‘vagina’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.1

Nasutʂo̱²¹#1356 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk ‘VULVA’Allofams77 #3589 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk ‘VULVA / VAGINA / MOUTH / LIP’77a #1356 PTB *dzyuk ⪤ *tsyuk ‘VULVA’77b #478 PTB *tsyuk ‘MOUTH / LIP’ pi̱²¹ ‘vagina’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.1

Nesupi⁵⁵ ‘vagina’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.1

Noesupe³³ ‘vagina’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.1

Noesupe³³ɬɪ³³morpheme ‘copulate’Chen 86 Yi: 10.2

Yi (Southern)pi⁵⁵ ‘vulva’Bauer 91

6.1.2.2Central Loloish20

Ahito⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’ bi̱²¹ ‘genitalia / pudenda (general)’Luo 90: 10.1

Ahito⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’ bi̱²¹ ne̱³³morpheme ba⁵⁵morpheme ‘vagina’Luo 90: 10.4.1

Ahito⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’ bi̱²¹ ni²¹morpheme ‘vulva / labia’Ahi ni²¹ is the same as the first syllable of Ahi ni²¹ tɕi²² ‘lip’.Luo 90: 10.4.2

Ahito⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’ bi̱²¹ tʂʻɛ²²morpheme v.‘copulate’Luo 90: 10.2

Ahito⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’bi̱²¹ ‘vagina’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.1

Jinuo (Baya/Banai)tso⁵⁵#1354 PTB *tsya ‘VAGINA / COPULATE’ pɛ⁵⁵ ‘vagina’Dai 89 JinA: 146

*Common Lahupeh˰ ‘vulva’Bradley 79 PLo: 123

Lahu (Black)cha#1354 PTB *tsya ‘VAGINA / COPULATE’(-pɛ̀ʔ) ‘vagina’Matisoff 87 BP

Lahu (Black)cha#1354 PTB *tsya ‘VAGINA / COPULATE’(-pɛ̀ʔ) ‘vulva’Matisoff 72 LTSR: 5

Lahu (Black)pɛ̀ʔ v.‘horny, randy (to be)’Matisoff 88 DL: p. 856

Lisutu¹#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’-bi⁶ ‘vagina’Matisoff 87 BP

Lisutu¹#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’-bi⁶ ‘vulva’Matisoff 72 LTSR: 5

Lisu (Central)tu¹#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’-bi⁶ ‘vagina’Fraser 22

Lisutu¹#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’bi⁶ ‘vulva’Bradley 79 PLo: 123

Lisu (Northern)tɔ⁵⁵#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’bi²¹ N‘pudenda’Bradley 94 Lisu

Sani [Nyi]pæ⁵⁵ ‘vagina’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.1

Sani [Nyi]pæ⁵⁵ ‘vagina’Ma 89 SanQ: 303.4

Sani [Nyi]pæ⁵⁵no⁴⁴#363 PTB *s/r-mul ⪤ *s-mil ⪤ *s-myal ‘HAIR / FUR / FEATHER’MesorootsPKC *mul ⪤ *hmul ‘HAIR (body) / FUR / WOOL’Allofams1 #363 PTB *s/r-mul ⪤ *s-mil ⪤ *s-myal ‘HAIR / FUR / FEATHER’1a #1429 PTB *s-mu-t ‘BEARD / FACIAL HAIR / HAIR’1b #2058 PTB *mum ‘CHIN / BEARD’ ‘female pubic hair’Chen 86 Yi: 10.4.5

Sani [Nyi]pɛ⁵⁵ ‘vulva, female genitals’Wu 84

Sani [Nyi]pɛ⁵⁵qhɪ³³morpheme ‘copulate’Wu 84

6.1.2.3Southern Loloish5

Akhaaprefix-beh L-LS ‘vulva’Matisoff 72 LTSR: 5

Akhaa˯prefix beh˰ ‘vulva (impolite child's term)’Matisoff 87 BP

Bisutɔ#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’◦pɛ́ ‘vulva’Beaudouin 88 Bisu: 16

Mpito²#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’phe² ‘vagina’Srinuan 76

Côông [Phunoi]pə̀ tò#661 PTB *s-tu ‘VAGINA / VULVA’PTani *tɯ ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKC *tshuu ‘VULVA / VAGINA’PKir *tu ‘VAGINA’ ‘vulva’Matisoff 87 BP

6.2Naxi1

Moso (Weixi)pi³⁵ ‘vulva’Bauer 91

8Bai5

Bai (Jianchuan)pi̱⁴⁴ ‘vulva / labia’Zhao 90: 10.4.2

Bai (Jianchuan)pi̱⁴⁴ ma̱²¹#363 PTB *s/r-mul ⪤ *s-mil ⪤ *s-myal ‘HAIR / FUR / FEATHER’MesorootsPKC *mul ⪤ *hmul ‘HAIR (body) / FUR / WOOL’Allofams1 #363 PTB *s/r-mul ⪤ *s-mil ⪤ *s-myal ‘HAIR / FUR / FEATHER’1a #1429 PTB *s-mu-t ‘BEARD / FACIAL HAIR / HAIR’1b #2058 PTB *mum ‘CHIN / BEARD’ ‘female pubic hair’Zhao 90: 10.4.5

Bai (Jianchuan)pi̱⁴⁴ ɕĩ⁵⁵#3431 PTB *syaŋ ‘VAGINA / CLITORIS’ tɯ̱²¹#1352 PTB *s/m-ti ‘CLITORIS / VAGINA’ ‘clitoris’Zhao 90: 10.4.4

Bai (Jianchuan)pi̱⁴⁴ ʔuĩ³³#3429 PTB *wyan ‘VAGINA’ ‘vagina’Zhao 90: 10.4.1

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #662, *b(y)at ‘VAGINA’.

Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/662

Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].

References: cf. HPTB p. 375

BibTeX

@misc{stedt-662,
  title  = {{*b(y)at 'VAGINA'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #662},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/662}
}