Nostratic etymology :

Eurasiatic: *ṗVlV

Meaning: fly, midge

Borean: Borean

Altaic: *p`i̯oli ( ~ -ĺ-)

Uralic: *pElV

References: ND 1694a *ṗ[UʔE]lV 'stinging insect'.

Altaic etymology :

Proto-Altaic: *p`i̯oli ( ~ -ĺ-)

Nostratic: Nostratic

Meaning: fly, midge

Russian meaning: муха, мошка

Mongolian: *hilaɣa-n

Tungus-Manchu: *pulmi-kte

Korean: *pắrh

Comments: Mong. and Kor. reflect a common derivative *p`i̯oli-gV.

Mongolian etymology :

Proto-Mongolian: *hilaɣa-n

Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology

Meaning: fly

Russian meaning: муха

Written Mongolian: ilaɣa (МХТТТ)

Khalkha: jalān

Buriat: ilāhan

Kalmuck: ilǝsṇ `midge(s)' (РКС)

Dagur: xilā (Тод. Даг.)

Tungus etymology :

Proto-Tungus-Manchu: *pulmi-kte

Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology

Meaning: midge

Russian meaning: мошка

Evenki: hunmīkte

Even: humtъčen

Negidal: xunmuɣekte

Ulcha: pulte, pumikte

Orok: pulikte, pumikte

Nanai: purmikte

Oroch: pumikte

Udighe: xumukte

Comments: ТМС 2, 348. Evk. > Dolg. hünmükte (Stachowski 115).

Korean etymology :

Proto-Korean: *pắrh

Altaic etymology: Altaic etymology

Meaning: fly

Russian meaning: муха

Modern Korean: phāri

Middle Korean: phắr, phắrì

Comments: Nam 462, KED 1730.

Uralic etymology :

Number: 854

Proto: *pElV

> Nostratic: > Nostratic

English meaning: gadfly

German meaning: Bremse (Insekt)

Mari (Cheremis): (pǝjǝlmǝ (Szil.) 'Wespe', pǝ̑jǝ̑lmǝ̑ (W) 'шмель' - rejected by Redei)

Khanty (Ostyak): pelǝm (VK), pȧ̆лǝm (J), petǝm (DN) 'Bremse (Insekt)'

Mansi (Vogul): pälǝ^.m (TJ), pǟlǝm (KU), pälǝm (P), palǝm (So.)

Nenets (Yurak): piĺū (O), pirńū (Lj.)

Nganasan (Tawgi): filt́i

Long-range etymologies :

Borean (approx.) : PVLV

Meaning : fly, flea

Eurasiatic : *ṗVlV

Afroasiatic : *pVy/ʔVl-

Reference : ND 1694a.

Afroasiatic etymology :

Proto-Afro-Asiatic: *(ʔV-)pil-

Meaning: flea, louse

Borean etymology: Borean etymology

Semitic: *pVl- 'kind of insect, louse'

Egyptian: py 'flea' (med) (?)

Western Chadic: *mpil- 'fire-bug, firefly'

Central Chadic: *(ʔa-)filay- 'spider' 1, 'flea' 2, 't. of ant' 3, 't. of worm' 4, 'tick, mite' 5

Central Cushitic (Agaw): *pil- 'flea'

Low East Cushitic: *fill- 'flea'

High East Cushitic: *pill- 'flea' (?)

Warazi (Dullay): *fill- 'flea'

South Cushitic: *paʔal- 'flying termite' (?)

Omotic: *ṗill- 'flea'

Notes: Cf. Bla Beja 9: Beḍ (fallúus 'sandfly' ?); Agaw; Om.: Kafa; Eg. (?); Sem.: Arb. Cf. also EDE II 411-12; 393.

Semitic etymology :

Number: 1928

Proto-Semitic: *pVl-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: kind of insect, louse

Akkadian: uplu 'Kopflaus' OB on [AHw. 1432]. The only OB attestation seems to come from the lexical list Diri (JCS 7 28 III 3 ^ú-uḫUH_.UH_ = up-lum/lu; a denominative verb uppulum 'lausen' is known from the same list). According to von Soden, another OB example is AbB 5 198:14 (ṣuḫārû ina uplim lā imuttū 'may the servants not die because of the lice!') However, this passage was convincingly reinterpreted in [Stol] (ublum 'drought' < abālu 'to be dry').

Judaic Aramaic: palyā, palyā bēʔārī 'name of a locust on palm-trees' [Ja. 1181] (pālǝyā according to [Levy WTM IV 52]), plyyt ḥywwyyh 'speckled beetle' [Sok. 436].

Arabic: fāliyat- 'sorte d'insecte semblable au scarabée marqué de taches noires et blanches qui accompagne ou précède ordinairement les scorpions ou les vipère' [BK 2 635], [LA 15 164] (only in fāliyatu l-ʔafāʕī: ḫunfasāʔu raḳṣāʔu ḍaḫmatun takūnu ʕinda l-ǯiḥarati ???).

Notes: Obviously related is the verbal root *ply 'to delouse' (Hbr. pB. pālā 'to search one's garments for vermin' [Ja. 1181], Jud. pallē 'to search (garments)' [ibid.], Syr. pǝlā 'purgavit pediculis', pa. 'pediculos undique collegit' [Brock. 569], Arb. fly 'chercher des poux' [BK 2 635], Mhr. fǝlō 'to delouse' [JM 95], Hrs. felō id. [JH 33], Jib. félé id. [JJ 58]). Сf. also Amh. fälla 'to pululate, swarm (insects, ants)' [K 2260], found in particular in the expression ḳǝmal fälabät 'to be swarming with lice' (according to Kane, a secondary semantic development from the main meaning of fälla, namely 'to boil, to ferment'), fälfäl 'swarm of termites which leave the mound at the onset of the rainy season' [ibid. 2272] (according to Kane, derived from a verbal root meaing 'to hatch (locusts)'). Possible WS parallels for Akk. uplu were extensively discussed in [Landsberger Fauna 127] with the following conclusion: "Diese Verba hat schon Delitzsch ... verglichen; er meinte aber, man könne sie mit uplu nicht kombinieren, da in Aram. und Arab. für diese Verba die Bedeutung "untersuchen" primär, "lausen" sekundär wäre. Dies trifft nicht zu, wir haben vielmehr sowohl die akkadischen als die aramäisch-arabischen Verba aus eine zweiradikalige Wurzel pl, etwa "Läuse bekommen" zurückzuführen. Dagegen hat uplu direkt keinen Zusammenhang mit dem aramäisch-arabischen Tiernamen "Lauserin der Schlange"). In our opinion, a term for louse can hardly be derived from a verbal root meaning 'to get louse' whereas a reverse development seems more than natural (cf. Akk. uppulu). As for the Arm. and Arb. insect names, their interpretation as secondary deverbal derivates ("one-whodelouses(-snakes)") proposed e.g. in [Levy WTM IV 52] and supported by Landsberger is not unlikely, though a popular reinterpretation of original faunal terms is also quite conceivable. [DRS 585]: Akk., Arb. (fly 'faire la chasse aux poux')

Egyptian etymology :

Old Egyptian: py (med)

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flea'

West Chadic etymology :

Proto-WChadic: *mpil-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'fire-bug, firefly'

Hausa: cf. filfilò 'butterfly' Abr Hs

Sura: m̀pil-wus 'Glühwürmchen' Jng 1963 (EDE II 393: wus 'Feuer'

Central Chadic etymology :

Proto-CChadic: *(ʔa-)filay-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'spider' 1, 'flea' 2, 't. of ant' 3, 't. of worm' 4, 'tick, mite' 5

Bura: ma-fil-kwi 2 [Ann]

Wamdiu: pɨ̀la-tagù 1 [Kr: 114]

Hildi=Margi Mbazuwa: ma-fɨ̄lɨ̄ 1 [Kr: 104] 1

Mada: fǝ́la 4 [BMad], Mada offól 'tique (du chien, des vaches)' Brt.-Brunet 5

Mafa=Matakam: ń-fǝ́líyá 3 [BMaf]

Musgu: afili 2

Notes: Note -kwi as a possible class-marker (cp.'sis 'snake')

Central Cushitic (Agaw) etymology :

Proto-Agaw: *pil-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flea'

Qwara: peliya

Qemant: fäle

Low East Cushitic etymology :

Proto-Low East Cushitic: *fill-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flea'

Gidole (Dirasha): fillét Apl

High East Cushitic etymology :

Proto-High East Cushitic: *pill-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flea'

Sidamo: pill-o EDE II 411 (not HEC)

Warazi etymology :

Proto-Warazi: *fill-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flea'

Harso (Werize): filláyye

Gollango (Wellango): filláye

South Cushitic etymology :

Proto-South Cushitic: *paʔal-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flying termite'

Qwadza (Ngomvia): paʔal-iko

Omotic etymology :

Proto-Omotic: *ṗill-

Afroasiatic etymology: Afroasiatic etymology

Meaning: 'flea'

Kafa (Kaficho): pillō Cer, ṗillō Rein 1888, ḅillo Flem

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