*awidiją

From *awiz + *-dją, an element occurring in terms for herds, probably ultimately reflecting the zero grade *dʰh₁- of Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- + *-yo- (Krahe & Meid 1969: 149; Kroonen 2013: 45). Kroonen reconstructs pre-Germanic *h₃eui-dʰh₁-io-, approximately *h₂owi-dʰh₁-iyo-m with the reconstruction of *awiz used here, literally ‘set/group of sheep’; compare the parallel *kudją, which he reconstructs as originally ‘set of cows’ (Kroonen 2013: 45, 308–309). Lehmann (1986a: 52, s.v. aweþi) explains the voiceless dental fricative in Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌴𐌸𐌹 (awēþi) by Thurneysen’s law, whereas Ringe & Taylor regard its relationship to West Germanic *awidī as unclear (Ringe & Taylor 2014: 259). Compare Lithuanian avi̇̀dė, which may preserve a related formation (Wodtko et al. 2008: 335, 339 n. 25), and possibly Classical Armenian աւդի (awdi), which has likewise been connected with this group (Olsen 1999: 496–497).