*bh-rs- “copper, iron”
SI, ISG: *bh-rs- Proto-IndoEuropean *bhérso-m Proto-IndoEuropean ferrum “iron” Latin *bhróso-m Proto-IndoEuropean bræs “ore, copper” Old English bras id. Middle English brass English *P.-r-z- Proto-Semitic b-r-z- Semitic : p-r-z- Semitic plus l- parzel “iron” Aramaic parzlå: id. Syrian pl. “iron chains” Syrian parzillu “iron” Assyrian bi:ra:ti parzillu “iron shackles” Assyrian firzilun “fetters” Arabian denom. farzala “fettered” Arabian with r > l after labial filizzun, fullizun “white copper” Arabian Probably ancient loanword HSED 290: *bir- “metal” by3 (Vocalic -y-) “ore, copper” Egyptian (XVIII dynasty) *HV-bir- “iron” Central Chadic b&rey id. Mofu b.ire. id. Gisiga Prefix *HV- reflected in the Gisiga initial emphatic. *bir- “iron” East Chadic biri id. Sumray *bir- “metal” Agaw birr id. Kemant *bir- “metal” Lowland East Cushitic bir id. Somali *bir(r)- “silver” Highland East Cushitic birri id. Bambala bira-ta id. Kambatta *bir- “metal” Omotic bir-ewo id. Kaffa Cf. derivatives *birit- "iron" Saho-Afar birtaa id. Saho birtaa id. Afar belet-iko id. Kwadza (of Rift) HSED 1967: *pa3- “metal” *paz- “pure gold” Semitic paz id. Hebrew *pa3- “iron” East Chadic paaz^ id. Tumak One more example of semantic synchretism in the early vocabulary of metallurgy. DUS: *was´ka Proto-Uralic vaski “copper, bronze” Finnish væi'ke id. Saami vies^'ke id. Kola Saami vis'kä, us^ke “metal wire” Erzya Mordvin us'kä id. Moks^a Mordvin waz^ “ore, metal” Cheremiss -ves´ Votyak azves´ “silver” Votyak uzves´ “tin, lead” Votyak -ys´ Zyryan ezys' “silver” Zyryan ozus' “tin” Zyryan -wõs, -fs^ Vogul aatwõs, atfs~ “tin, lead” Vogul wa^g “iron” Ostyak (in metal names)“metal; money” Ostyak vas “iron” Hungarian -üst ? Hungarian ezüst “silver” Hungatian jeese “iron” Tundra Yurak Samoyed weese id. Forest Yurak Samoyed basa “iron, metal” Tavgi Samoyed bese id. Yenisei Samoyed k&&zy id. Selkup Samoyed båzå, basa “iron” Kamass Samoyed TP: If -k- of the (mainly) Finnic words is a suffix, we'd have *was´a Proto-Uralic IEIE: Dagestanian (with probable *w- > m-) mesed “copper” Avar misidi id. Andi mis^idi id. Akhvakh murhi id. Dargi musi id. Lak *misid-ttu > misir-ttu id. Archi mis id. Udi mis id. Xinalug *(a)wes(k). “gold” Proto-IndoEuropean CAD 09.670: bosi? “iron” Palawan balan id. Palawan bos? id. Molbog basi? id. Ba:ngingi Sama bUso& id. Aceh bosi id. Batak Toba basi id. Minangkabau b&si id. Indonesian bïsi id. Sundanese w&si id. Javanese b&ssi id. Madurese b&si id. Balinese b&si id. Sasak wu-wate id. Gorontalo bïssi id. Bugis bassi id. Konjo (Coastal) b&c^i id. Manggarai *bari[] id. Proto-HesperonesianFormosan? *besi id. Proto-Hesperonesian? TP: The -rs- and -z^- of some of the Semitic words may be from *-ri- > *-rz^i- > *-rzi-, cf similar developments in West Slavic. Semitic prefers triliteral (three-consonant) roots and has extended almost all of the originally biliteral roots of AfroAsiatic by adding a third consonant. If the -rs- of 'parzel' etc was understood as one consonant, the -l would be such a third consonant, not an unusual (for Semitic) fourth root consonant. Finno-Ugric has almost exclusively -s- (if -k-/-g- is a suffix). AfroAsiatic has exclusively -r- and -rs-. Austronesian has both -s- and -r-. That points to Austronesian being the donor. Back