(enebh-2): nebh-, embh-, m̥bh-

    (enebh-2): nebh-, embh-, m̥bh-

    English meaning: wet, damp; water; clouds

    Deutsche Übersetzung: “feucht, Wasser”, out of it “Dampf, Dunst, Nebel, Wolke”

    Note: (Kontaminationsform nembh-); partly emb-, omb- from embh-, ombh-

    Material: nebhos-: O.Ind. nábhas- n. “fog, haze, mist, clouds, airspace, sky, heaven”, besides root inflection in lengthened grade f. Plur. nǘ bhaḥ (?); Av. nabah- n. pl. “ airspace, sky, heaven”; Gk. νέφος, -ους n. “cloud, fog” (Denom. primary form ξυννέφει “ es umzieht sich “, ξυννένοφε “it is cloudy”); also (see below nem- “bend”) O.Ir. nem (n. es-stem), Ir. neamh, Welsh Corn. nef ‘sky, heaven”; O.Bulg. nebo, -ese n. ‘sky, heaven”, to i-stem reshaped in Lith. debesìs f. and m. “cloud” (but older konson. pl., e.g. gen. pl. debesų̃! d for n through influence of dangùs ‘sky, heaven”);

    Note: Common n- > nd- > d- phonetic mutation Hitt. ne-pi-iš (nebis) n. ‘sky, heaven” gen. nebisas; with l-forms (nebhelü ): Gk. νεφέλη “cloud, fog” = Lat. nebula “haze, mist, fog, cloud”; maybe Alb. (*nebula), avull “vapor, steam, *cloud” [the shift b > v] from the same root as Rom. abur “fog”. but O.Ir. nēl m., gen. nīuil “cloud, fog” not from *nebhlo-, but loanword from Welsh niwl, nifwl, nCorn. niul ds. (that again after Loth RC 20, 346 f. Lw. from late Lat. *nibulus for nūbilus); maybe Alb.Gheg (*nil, ni ‘sky” + altus “high”) naltë “high, above”, Alb. tosk (*nil ‘sky” + altus “high”) lartë “high” [clearly the typical Alb. tosk rhotacism *nil-alt, *nil-art > lart “high” L > R]; the initial ni- was dropped in a similar way in Alb. (*nebula), avull “vapor, steam, *cloud” O.H.G. nebul m. “fog”, O.S. neƀal “fog, darkness”, O.E. nifol ds., O.Ice. nifl-heimr below likewise, njōl “darkness, night” (Gmc. *neƀla- and *niƀula- from -elo-; O.Ice. nifl- from *niƀila- ); Maybe Alb. (*njōl) njollë “(white stain), bad vision” : O.Ice. njōl “ darkness, night “]. doubtful O.Ind. nabhanú- m., nabhanū́ - f., probably “wellspring”; Av. aiwi-naptīm asti “he (befeuchtet =) besudelt with blood”, napta- “humid, wet” (*nab-ta-), Pers. neft “ naphtha “; perhaps here Lat. Neptūnus “ God of the springs and rivers, then of the sea, son of Saturn and brother of Jupiter “ from *nebh-tu-s; of -p- in skyth. FlN Naparis, O.Pers. spring, fountain N Νάπας derives from Iran. apa- “water, wellspring” (Brandenstein, OLZ 1940, 435 ff.). m̥bh-(ro-): O.Ind. abhrá- m. “ gloomy weather, cloudiness “, n. “cloud, airspace” (*m̥bhros), Av. awra- n. “cloud”; remains far off because of the meaning Gk. ἀφρός ‘scum, froth, foam” (Meillet BSL 31, 51); in i-Decl. converted Lat. imber, imbris “ a rain, heavy rain, violent rain, shower, pouring rain “ = Osc. Anafríss, probably “ a rain, heavy rain, violent rain, shower, pouring rain “. Here also the river names Gaul. *Ambrü, M.Welsh Amir, Amyr as well as Ger. Amper and Ammer (Celt. *Ambrü), Emmer (Celt. *Ambriü); in addition also Eng. Amber; Fr. Ambre, Ambrole; spO.N. Ambron, Ambror; Ital. Ambra, Ambria, Ambro, Ambrio etc., latter are particular Ven.-Illyrian; compare without formant r Gaul. inter ambes “ between streams “, ambe “ a small stream, brook “, O.Brit. Amboglanna “bank, shore of the stream”, as well as Arm. amb and (with IE b) amp “cloud”. emb(h)- : omb(h)- : O.Ind. ámbhas- n. “ rainwater “; ambu n. “water”, Gk. ὄμβρος m. “rain” (to b compare above Arm. amp and Schwyzer Gk. I 333); here also lak. ὀμφά ‘smell, odor, breath, breeze”, arkad. εὔομφος “wohlriechend”, etc. nembh-: pehl. namb, nam, Pers. nem “ moist, humidity “, pehl. nambītan “ moisten “; Lat. nimbus “ cloud, mist; esp. a black rain-cloud; a storm, shower “. From Slav. languages the cognate for sky, cloud passed to Altaic languages: Protoform: *ŋi̯ ŏ bu

    English meaning: to pour Turkic protoform: *ju(b)- Mongolian protoform: *jeɣũ-le- Tungus protoform: *ńiabe- Korean protoform: *nūb-

    Note: ТМС 1, 352. It is tempting to compare also Evk . ńewte, Evn. ńewte ‘spring, well” (*”washing or pouring place”) and perhaps also OJ mjiwo “water-way, seaway” (if mji- is to be analysed as “water”, the -wo part stays completely obscure).

    References: WP. I 131, WH. I 681, II 151 f., Specht Decl. 16 f.