Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/werdʰh₁om

This Proto-Indo-European entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-European

Etymology

From *werh₁- (“to speak, say”), with the extension *-dʰh₁-o- (from *dʰeh₁- (“to put”)), which expresses the perfective aspect. [1]

Noun

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*werdʰh₁om n

word

Inflection

Thematic
	singular
nominative	*werdʰh₁om
genitive	*werdʰh₁osyo
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*werdʰh₁om	*werdʰh₁oy(h₁)	*werdʰh₁eh₂
vocative	*werdʰh₁om	*werdʰh₁oy(h₁)	*werdʰh₁eh₂
accusative	*werdʰh₁om	*werdʰh₁oy(h₁)	*werdʰh₁eh₂
genitive	*werdʰh₁osyo	*?	*werdʰh₁oHom
ablative	*werdʰh₁ead	*?	*werdʰh₁omos
dative	*werdʰh₁oey	*?	*werdʰh₁omos
locative	werdʰh₁ey, werdʰh₁oy	*?	*werdʰh₁oysu
instrumental	*werdʰh₁oh₁	*?	*werdʰh₁ōys

Based on the different gradations in descendants, this word likely exhibited ablaut between the stems *wérdʰh₁- ~ *wordʰh₁- ~ *wr̥dʰh₁-; however, it has been thematicized in all descendants and so the particular declension type may be unreconstructible.
It is possible that Latin verbum actually reflects the zero-grade or o-grade, if it underwent an early shift *vor- > ver-,[2] in which case the e-grade would be unrepresented (unless Umbrian 𐌖𐌄𐌓𐌚𐌀𐌋𐌄 (uerfale, “temple”) is a valid descendant).

Descendants

Proto-Balto-Slavic: *wardas (from the o-grade *wordʰh₁om)
- Latvian: vārds (“name, word”)
- Lithuanian: var̃das (“name”)
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *wirdas (from the zero-grade *wr̥dʰh₁om)
- Old Prussian: wirds
- → Proto-Finnic: *virci (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Germanic: *wurdą (from the zero-grade *wr̥dʰh₁om[3]) (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Italic: *werβom (see there for further descendants)

References

Friedrich Kluge (1989) “Wort”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN
De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “verbum”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 664–665
“Wort” in: Deutsches Wörterbuch (Grimm)