On the Etymology of Old Albanian dro ‘To Be Afraid, To Fear’
On the Etymology of Old Albanian dro ‘To Be Afraid, To Fear’
Author(s): Borislav PetrovSubject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Lexis, Semantics, Historical Linguistics, Descriptive linguistics, South Slavic Languages
Published by: Институт за български език „Проф. Любомир Андрейчин“, Българска академия на науките
Keywords: Albanian; Indo-European; etymology; fear; present stem; aorist
Summary/Abstract: The article analyses the etymology of the OAlb. verb dro ‘to be afraid, to fear.’ First, it critically examines the previous etymological interpretations that derive the OAlb. verb dro from PIE *dhreh2s- (VAalb: 970-971), *dhreh1dh- (Schumacher 2022: 131–151) and *dreh2-se/o- (DPEWA s.v. druan). Subsequently, it is argued that OAlb. dro is derived from the *-i̯e/o-present stem of the PIE root *dreh2- ‘to run away’ (which yielded Gk. ἀποδιδράσκω ‘to run away, to flee’ and Ved. √drā- ‘to run’ – LIV2: 127) and not from *dreh2-se/o-, the desiderative stem of the root. Furthermore, the article discusses the development of the two types of aorist attested in Old Albanian and in the modern Albanian dialects.
Journal: Балканско езикознание / Linguistique balkanique
- Issue Year: 64/2025
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 6-17
- Page Count: 12
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF
