*ampraz

Probably from Proto-Indo-European *h₂h₃m-ró-s, more cautiously *H(e/o)m-ró-s, a *-ró- formation belonging to the disputed family represented by *h₂eh₃mós and conventionally connected with the root *h₂eh₃-. The Proto-Germanic -p- is secondary: pre-Germanic -mr- developed an epenthetic homorganic stop, *-mr- > -mbr-, before Grimm’s Law, yielding *ampra-. Although such nasal-stop epenthesis is phonetically well motivated, clear Germanic parallels for its specifically pre-Germanic chronology are lacking (Heidermanns 1993: 99–100; Lloyd & Springer 1988: s.v. ampfara; Wodtko et al. 2008: 202–204). Usually compared with Sanskrit अम्ल (amlá) and Latin amārus (probably remodeled with Latin -ārus); related formations in the broader but uncertain ‘raw’ family include Sanskrit आम (āmá), Ancient Greek ὠμός (ōmós), and Old Armenian հում (hum) (Beekes 2010: 1680; de Vaan 2008: 37; Kroonen 2013: 25; Wodtko et al. 2008: 202–204). Kroonen (2013: 25), skeptical of the Indo-European analysis, also compares Semitic forms such as Hebrew מַר (mar).