Nakh etymology :

Proto-Nakh: *laħi

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: snake

Chechen: läħa

Ingush: leħa

Batsbi: laħ

Comments: 6th class in all languages.

North Caucasian etymology :

Proto-North Caucasian: *Ł_ăɦrV

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: snake

Proto-Nakh: *laħi

Proto-Lezghian: *ƛ:ar

Proto-Khinalug: ḳaz

Proto-West Caucasian: *b(ǝ)Ĺa

Notes: Correspondences are regular (*Ĺ in PWC has a secondary palatalisation - because of the merger of original *L and *Ĺ). The PWC form has a frequent nominal prefix *b(ǝ)-.

Lezghian etymology :

Proto-Lezghian: *ƛ:ar

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: snake

Rutul: ɣar

Kryz: ɣar (Al.)

Budukh: jer

Comment: 3d class in all languages. Obl. vowel base *ƛ:ara- (to judge from Rut. ɣara-). Cf. Лексика 1971, 151.

Khinalug etymology :

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology :

Proto-West-Caucasian: *b(ǝ)Ĺa

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: snake

Adyghe: bLa

Kabardian: bLa

Comments: PAK *bLa.

Sino-Caucasian etymology :

Proto-Sino-Caucasian: *ŁắɦrV

Meaning: snake

Borean etymology: Borean etymology

North Caucasian: *Ł_ăɦrV

Sino-Tibetan: *lăj

Yenisseian: *jVʔra

Basque: *erɫuɫi (?)

Comments and references : WFR 13.

Sino-Tibetan etymology :

Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *lăj

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: snake

Chinese: 蛇 *liaj snake.

Kachin: pǝlaj¹ a sp. of iguana.

Lushai: hlai-ba a sp. of snake.

Kiranti: *phu-lV worm, snake

Chinese characters :

Character: 蛇

Modern (Beijing) reading: shé

Preclassic Old Chinese: liaj

Classic Old Chinese: liaj

Western Han Chinese: liaj

Eastern Han Chinese: źä

Early Postclassic Chinese: źa

Middle Postclassic Chinese: źa

Late Postclassic Chinese: źa

Middle Chinese: źa

English meaning : snake

Russian meaning[s]: 1) змея; 6-й знак Зодиака; 2) ядовитый (о змее); 3) ползти, пресмыкаться

Comments: Also read *laj (MC je, FQ 弋支, Mand. yí) in the compound 委蛇 *ʔʷaj-laj 'be compliant, gracious'.

Sino-Tibetan etymology: Sino-Tibetan etymology

Dialectal data: Dialectal data

Radical: 142

Four-angle index: 7023

Karlgren code: 0004 l

Vietnamese reading: xà

Bijiang Bai: čher1

Shijing occurrences: 18.1_, 18.2, 18.3

Chinese Dialects :

Number: 1278

Chinese etymology: Chinese etymology

Character: 蛇

MC description : 假開三平麻船

ZIHUI: 5748 0167

Beijing: ṣô 12

Jinan: ṣa 12

Xi'an: ṣô 12

Taiyuan: sö 1

Hankou: sô 12

Chengdu: se 12

Yangzhou: śî 12

Suzhou: zo 12

Wenzhou: zei 12

Changsha: ṣô 12 (lit.); ṣa 12

Shuangfeng: ɣio 12

Nanchang: sa 31

Meixian: sa 12

Guangzhou: šɛ 12

Xiamen: sia 12 (lit.); cua 12

Chaozhou: cua 12

Fuzhou: siɛ 12

Shanghai: zo 32

Zhongyuan yinyun: šie 12

Kiranti etymology :

Proto-Kiranti: *phulV

Sino-Tibetan etymology: Sino-Tibetan etymology

Meaning: worm, snake

Tulung: wacipula earthworm (cf. also blo snake)

Kaling: -phul in wɔsphul earthworm (ср. wɔs a rate for the worship of the earth)

Yamphu: phi-ba 'bugs or worms in dung or spoilt food' (?)

Comments: Toba 96 *bhlu (confused with *bhén).

Yamphu dictionary :

Entry: phiba

Kiranti etymology: Kiranti etymology

Grammar: n.

Meaning: bugs or worms found in dung or spoilt food.

Yenisseian etymology :

Proto-Yenisseian: *jVʔra

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: a small insect, worm

Ket: ɔlǝŋgǝs⁵, pl. -n 'spider'

Yug: ɔʔl // ɔllǝ⁵, pl. ɔlɨn⁵ 'worm, small insect'

Kottish: d́era, pl. d́etn, d́erán "Eidechse"; d́ira, g. d́irā, d́irei, pl. d́itn id.

Comments: ССЕ 197. Werner 2, 48 (without the Kott. form). Kott. d́era / d́ira was compared in КС 215 with Ket. tuĺn 'lizard', but this was phonetically irregular (one had to suppose a variation *c- / *ʒ-, otherwise unattested). Werner seems unsure about the attribution of d́era: in 1, 286 he still compares it with tuĺn (see *tulVn); in 1, 415 he proposes to compare it with Ket ʌʔĺ 'frog' - not abandoning, however, the comparison of ʌʔĺ with Arin kere 'frog', proposed in ССЕ 295, and thus has to reconstruct an uncomprehensible variation <*ǝʔʎ / *(k)ǝʎǝ / *(d')ǝʎǝ>. There remains, however, a possibility to compare Kott. d́era / d́ira 'lizard' with Ket. ɔʔl 'worm': except for a not quite clear vowel correspondence the etymology seems quite plausible.

Basque etymology :

Proto-Basque: *erɫuɫi (?)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 salamander 2 scorpion 3 slow, lazy man, 'homme peu vif'

Bizkaian: elubia

Low Navarrese: harruli 1

Salazarese: arruli 1

Lapurdian: harruli 1

Baztanese: arruli 1

Zuberoan: erlúri 1, 2, 3, erlustri 1

Roncalese: arreuli 1

Comments: Some forms may be blended with *har̄i 'stone' (salamanders and scorpions are 'stone crawlers'), or *erle 'bee'. There have been irregular ‘expressive’ phonetic transformations, common in words for creeping animals. The comparison with PNC *Ł_ăɦrV 'snake' is very tentative.

Long-range etymologies :

Borean (approx.) : LVRV

Meaning : snake, worm

Sino-Caucasian : *Ł_ăɦrV

Austric : PAA *Cǝl[o:]j 'earthworm', PAN *SulaR 'snake'.

Reference : Sag 12 (Chin.-AN).

Austric etymology :

Proto-Austric: *lVɣ

Meaning: worm

Borean etymology: Borean etymology

Proto-Austroasiatic: *Cǝl[o:]j

Austroasiatic meaning: earthworm

Proto-Austronesian: *SulaR

Austronesian meaning: snake

Austronesian code: 24:19

Austro-Asiatic etymology :

Proto-Austro-Asiatic: *l[o:]j

Meaning: earthworm

Austric etymology: Austric etymology

Proto-Katuic: *lo:j

Proto-Bahnaric: *lɨ:j V?

Katuic etymology :

Proto-Katuic: *lo:j

Meaning: earthworm

Presyllable: tǝ-/dǝ-

Austro-Asiatic etymology: Austro-Asiatic etymology

Proto-West Katuic: *l[o:]j

Proto-East Katuic: *lo:j

References: P-429; TK2.93

West Katuic etymology :

Proto-West Katuic: *l[o:]j

Meaning: earthworm

Presyllable: tǝ-/dǝ-

Katuic etymology: Katuic etymology

Bru Van Keu: li=luj.T V?

Bru Van Keu meaning: earthworm

So: tǝlǝ:jʔ tro:j.N

So meaning: (TL)

Bru: tlɔ:j.N V?

Bru meaning: an earthworm

Kui: thlo:j.B

Kui meaning: an earthworm

East Katuic etymology :

Proto-East Katuic: *lo:j

Meaning: earthworm

Presyllable: tǝ-

Katuic etymology: Katuic etymology

Pakoh: tulɔ:j

Pakoh meaning: an earthworm; tulo:j.T (PT-155)

Taojh: tiloj.T V?

Taojh meaning: worm (PT-155)

Lao Katu: tilɨ̂j V?

Lao Katu meaning: earthworm

Ngeq: talo:j

Ngeq meaning: worms

Chatong: talo:j

Kantu dialects: tilɔj

Triw: talo:j

Bahnar etymology :

Proto-Bahnaric: *lɨ:j

Meaning: caterpillar

Presyllable: kǝ-

Austro-Asiatic etymology: Austro-Asiatic etymology

Proto-West Bahnaric: *l[ɨ:]j, kǝ-

Proto-Northwest-Bahnaric: *lɨ:j, kǝ-

West Bahnaric etymology :

Proto-West- Bahnaric: *l[ɨ:]j, kǝ-

Meaning: caterpillar

Bahnaric etymology: Bahnaric etymology

Jaru form: kaliǝ VT?

Lavi: klɨ:j

North-West Bahnaric etymology :

Proto-North-West- Bahnaric: *lɨ:j, kǝ-

Meaning: caterpillar

Bahnaric etymology: Bahnaric etymology

Tariang: kalɨ:j

Kaseng: lɨ:j P?

Yaeh: qɨ:j

Viet-Muong etymology :

Proto-Viet-Muong:

Meaning: lizard

Austro-Asiatic etymology: Austro-Asiatic etymology

Vietnamese: giòi

Vietnamese meaning: worm, larva

Muong dialect: khɔj.2

Thavung-So: lo:j.1, ʔalo:j.1

Thavung-So meaning: generic term for fish, snakes, turtles and monitor lizards

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