Wurdahuzdą: Proto-Germanic dictionary — *bōksScott K. ShayWardja Presshttps://protogermanic.org/pgmc_bōks
Single-entry extract from the dictionary. Cross-references to other entries point to their identifiers in the full dictionary.
φηγόςoak, acorn*bʰeh₂ǵ-sfāgusbeech tree
nounfeminineconsonant stemletter, written message, ‘book’Likely from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵ-s from *bʰeh₂ǵ-o-s (‘oak, beech’). Compare Latin fāgus (‘beech tree’), Ancient Greek φηγός (phēgós, ‘oak, acorn’), and Gaulish bāgos (‘beech’). The semantic development is commonly explained as ‘beechwood’ → ‘piece/stick/tablet of beechwood used for writing’ → ‘written sign, written message’ → ‘book’. This is preferable to older explanations involving beech bark or parchment-like bookfell, since the relevant intermediate is more likely a wooden writing tablet or rune-stick. Related to *bōkō (‘beech tree’), but the exact relationship remains disputed (though early runic material such as Pre-Old English hɛribœḵi (‘army beech’) has been taken as possible support for an intermediate meaning ‘beechwood writing tablet’ or ‘rune-stick’) (Waxenberger, n.d.).