*gerstō

Runic: ᚷᛖᚱᛊᛏᛟ Pronunciation: /ˈɣer.stɔː/

noun · feminine · ō-stem

Meanings

barley

Etymology

From virtual Proto-Indo-European *gʰersd-eh₂, from *ǵʰersd-. Cognate with Latin hordeum (‘barley’), Ancient Greek κριθή (krithḗ) (krithḗ, ‘barley’), Armenian գարի (gari, ‘wheat’), Albanian drithë (‘cereal, grain’). However, given the irregular sound correspondences (especially the Greek, which requires a root of the shape *ǵʰreydʰ-), probably of non-Indo-European substrate or Wanderwort origin. If indeed Indo-European in origin, the root would seem to be *ǵʰers- (‘to be stiff’) (compare Sanskrit हर्षति (hárṣati) (hárṣati, ‘to bristle’)) with some extension *-D-. For the semantics, compare the synonym *baraz (“barley”; originally “spiky leaves”, ‘awn’), apparently from *bʰers- (‘sharp point, tip, top’). Contrast *hirsijô (‘millet’) (Old Norse hirsi, Old High German hirso).

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nom.gerstōgerstôz
Acc.gerstǭgerstōz
Gen.gerstōzgerstǫ̂
Dat.gerstōigerstōmaz
Inst.gerstōgerstōmiz
Voc.gerstōgerstôz

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Descendants

  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • *gersta (Old Dutch)
      • gerste (Middle Dutch)
        • gerst (Dutch)
          • gerst (Papiamentu)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • *gersta (Old Dutch)
      • gerste (Middle Dutch)
        • gerst (Dutch)
          • gars (Afrikaans)
            • írhási (Xhosa)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • gorst, gors, *gurst (Old English)
      • gorst, gors, gorste, gost, grost (Middle English)
        • gorse (English)
        • goss, gorr (Yola)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • *jerste (Old Frisian)
      • Jäärste, Jüste (Saterland Frisian)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • gersta (Old High German)
      • gerste (Middle High German)
        • Geerste (Alemannic German)
        • Gerste (German)
        • גערשט (gersht) (Yiddish)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • gersta (Old High German)
      • gerste (Middle High German)
        • Geaschtn (Bavarian)
          • ghéersta (Cimbrian)
          • gerst (Mòcheno)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • gersta (Old High German)
      • gerste (Middle High German)
        • Jääsch, Gääscht (Central Franconian)
          • Geescht (Luxembourgish)
  • *gerstu (Proto-West Germanic)
    • gersta (Old Saxon)
      • gerste (Middle Low German)
        • Garste, Garst (German Low German)
        • Joascht (Plautdietsch)

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