Wurdahuzdą: Proto-Germanic dictionary — *gerstōScott K. ShayWardja Presshttps://protogermanic.org/pgmc_gerstō
Single-entry extract from the dictionary. Cross-references to other entries point to their identifiers in the full dictionary.
κριθήbarleyhordeumbarleyहर्षतिto bristle
nounfeminineō-stembarleyFrom virtual Proto-Indo-European *gʰersd-eh₂, from *ǵʰersd-. Cognate with Latin hordeum (‘barley’), Ancient Greek κριθή (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, ‘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).