ā̆bel-, ā̆bōl-, abel-

    ā̆bel-, ā̆bōl-, abel-

    English meaning: apple

    Deutsche Übersetzung: “Apfel”

    Note: Root ü̆bel-, ü̆bōl-, abel- : “apple” derived from Root om- (*ḫamel): “raw, bitter, *sweet”.

    Material: Maybe O.Ind.: abalá- m. “the plant Tapia Crataeva” {“Crataegus roxburghii” (H. Ebel KZ VI, 1957:216) [It is a proof of the European origin of the cognate]. Lat. Abella (Osc. town, city in Campanien) malifera “apple-bearing”, after Verg. Aen. 7, 740, might have received her name after of the apple breeding and reject on the basic form *ablonü. The apple is not named possibly only after the town. In the Celt. the names are to be distinguished for “apple” (*ablu) and “ apple tree “ (*abaln-). Gaul. avallo “ fruit “, Aballō (n-stem) PN, Fr. Avallon, O.Brit. PN Aballüva, Gallo- Rom. *aballinca “ Alpine mistletoe “ (Wartburg); Maybe Illyr. PN Aulona O.Ir. ubull (*ablu) n. “apple”, Welsh afal, pl. afalau, Corn. Bret. aval m. “apple”, but M.Ir. aball (*abalnü) f. “apple tree”, O.Welsh aball, M.Welsh avall pl. euyill (analogical) f., O.Welsh aballen, Welsh afallen “apple tree” (with singulative ending). The same ablaut forms in the Germanic: KrimGoth. apel (Goth. *apls?), O.H.G. apful, afful, M.H.G. apfel, O.E. æppel (Eng. apple), O.N. epli n. (apal-grür “apple-gray”) “apple”. Gmc. probably *ap(a)la-, *aplu-. Further O.N. apaldr “apple tree”, O.E. apuldor, æppuldre, O.H.G. apholtra (compare Ger. Affoltern PN), M.H.G. apfalter “apple tree” (*apaldra-). The Baltic shows clear tracks in IE completely isolated l- declension *übōl, G. sg. *übeles. lengthened grade of the suffix appears mostly in the word for “apple”: E.Lith. obuolỹs, Ltv. âbuolis (-ii̯o-stem), WestLith. óbuolas, Ltv. âbuols (o-stem) from IE *übōl-; Normal grade mostly in the word for “apple tree”; Lith. obelìs (fem. i-stem), Ltv. âbels (istem), âbele (ē-stem) from IE *übel-; but O.Pruss. woble f. (*übl-) “apple”, wobalne (*übolu-) f. “apple tree”. O.Bulg. ablъko, jablъko, Pol. jabɫko, Slov. jábolko, Russ. jábloko “apple” (*ablъko from *üblu-) etc; O.Bulg. (j)ablanь, Sloven. jáblan, O.Cz. jablan, jablon, Russ. jáblonь “apple tree”, from IE*üboln- (influences the sound form of *ablo “apple”). Although a uniform basic form is not attachable, it becomes both Lat. Celt. Gmc. Bal.- Slav. forms only around ancient relationship and barely around borrowing act. With respect to Lat. abies “ fir” etc. very uncertain.

    Note: The oldest IE cognate is Luvian: *šamlu(wa)- “apple-(tree)”; Attestations: [HittErgSg] ša-ma-lu-wa-an-za: 145 iii 18. GIŠH̲AŠH̲UR-an-za: XLIV 4+ Vo 26. GIŠH̲AŠH̲UR-lu-wa-an-za: XLIV 4+ Vo 28. Commentary: Above analysis most likely, but textual tradition is corrupt. Luwian nt. nom.- acc. sg. šamluwan=za also possible. Cf. Starke, KZ 95.153f, and Soysal, Or 58.174ff. From the common IE shift m > mb > b derived *šamlu(wa)- > Root ü̆bel-, ü̆bōl-, abel- : “apple” in Germanic languages while in Romance languages took place the coomon Illyr. Alb. sa > zero, phonetic mutation Luvian *šamlu(wa)- “apple-(tree)” > Lat. malum -i n. “an apple, or other similar fruit”; Alb.Gheg mollë “apple”. Also Proto-Slavic form: jemela; jemelo; jemelъ; jьmela; jьmelo {2} [Page in Trubač ev: VI 26- 27]: Russ. oméla “mistletoe” [f ü], Old Russ. imela “mistletoe” [f ü], Czech omela (dial.) “mistletoe” [f ü]; omelo (dial.) “mistletoe” [n o]; jmelí, melí (dial.) “mistletoe” [f iü], Slovak jemelo (dial.), hemelo (dial.) “mistletoe” [n o]; imelo, jmelo (dial.) “mistletoe” [n o], Pol. jemioɫa, jamioɫa “mistletoe” [f ü]; imioɫa (dial.) “mistletoe” [f ü], Upper Sorbian jemjel “mistletoe” [m o], Lower Sorbian jemjoɫ, hemjoɫ “mistletoe” [m o], Serbo-Croatian òmela (dial.) “mistletoe” [f ü]; ìmela, mèla “mistletoe” [f ü], Slovene jemę́la (dial.), omę́la (dial.) “mistletoe” [f ü]; imę̄la, mę̄la “mistletoe” [f ü], Proto-Balto-Slavic reconstruction: emel-; Lith. ãmalas, ẽmalas “mistletoe” [m o] 3b, Latv. amuols; ęmuols (BW); amuls; ümals; ümuls “mistletoe, clover” [m o] {1}, Old Pruss. emelno (EV) “mistletoe”. Bibliography: Anikin 1998: 334-336, Andersen 1996: 133-135 NOTE s: {1} The forms with ü- may show the influence of âbuõls “apple, clover”. {2} This plant name is probably a borrowing from the Illyrian Venetian substratum language. The Slavic forms with *jьm- must be due to popular etymology (the mistletoe’s sap is used to produce bird-lime), cf. OCS imati “to take”. An etymological connection with PIE *h1m- “to take” is doubtful, as is the connection with *H3eHm- “raw” . maybe Gk. Compounds: ἁμάμηλίς plant growing in the same time as the apple-tree, “medlar”, = ἐπιμηλίς. Probably Tocharian B: müla* “a kind of intoxicating drink”; Paradigm: [-, -, müla//] Examples: se ṣ a [müne] mot müla trikelyesa ś akse yokäṃ püyti “whatever monk drinks alcohol or intoxicating beverage through befuddlement or brandy, püyti” [müla = BHS maireya] (H-149.X.3b1/2 [Couvreur, 1954b: 48]), tumeṃ pärwettsai mülasa yokalle “then it [is] to be drunk with an aged drink” (W-33a5).

    Derivatives: mülatstse* “drunken”: aräñ cacu epreta Mürä [nts]= üdañ c mülatsai ... ṣpyarkatai-me “O courageous and brave one, thou hast destroyed Müra’s drunken bite” (241a2/3).

    References: WP. I 50, WH. I 3, E. Fraenkel KZ. 63, 172 ff., Trautmann 2.