*asjǭ

Likely from pre-Germanic *h₂eh₁s-yéh₂, a relational/appurtenance formation in *-ih₂/*-yéh₂ to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₁s-. Harðarson’s proposed zero-grade derivation *h₂h₁s-iyéh₂- ‘connected with ashes’ encounters a potential difficulty under Schmidt’s Law (Buyaner 2026: 149 n. 34); Neri (2017: 299–300) instead derives the form from full-grade h₂eh₁s-iyéh₂- with laryngeal loss by Wetter’s Law (the printed h₁eh₂s- in the section heading and opening sentence is apparently a transposition error for h₂eh₁s-). Cognate at the root level with Hittite 𒄩𒀀𒀸 (ḫāšš-), Sanskrit आस (ā́sa-), Latin āreō (< Proto-Italic *āzēō), and the related *-eh₂ formations Hittite 𒄩𒀸𒊭 (ḫa-aš-ša- /ḫašša-/) and Latin āra (de Vaan 2008: s.vv. āra, āreō, assus; Kloekhorst 2008: 318–19, 322–23; Melchert 2014: 258–59). Alternatively, Kroonen (2013: 38) reconstructs *asjōn- primarily as ‘soapstone’ and regards its connection with *askǭ as uncertain, explaining the fire-related meanings from soapstone’s use around hearths.