PROTO: *mĕrs_A
MEANING: hair, long rag, thread
COMMENT: For PNC we can reconstruct also the obl. form *mĕrs_A-lV- (reflected in several Lezg. forms, Khin., AAnd. and Lak.). The Laki form lis:u reflects a regular dropping of initial *mV- (lis:u < *mVlis:u, the latter being a metathesized form of *mV(r)s:i-lu).
The WC forms are very likely to belong here, too, although problems are raised by initial *p:- (we should expect *bǝsa); it may be a result of irregular dissimilative development within the PWC compound **bǝ̃la-bǝsa.
