Teritoriul onomastic al elementului dava - Sorin Olteanu

This article contains a list of reconstructed words of the ancient

Dacian language Dacian () is an extinct language generally believed to be a member of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that was spoken in the ancient region of Dacia. The Dacian language is poorly documented. Unlike Phrygian languag ...

. They have been restored by some

linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures ...

from attested place and personal names (

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

s and anthroponyms) from the historical region of

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

. In the case of words reconstructed from onomastic evidence, the original meanings ascribed to the names in question are derived from examination of closely cognate words and placenames in other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, complemented by analysis of the historical evolution of such placenames.Georgiev (1976) 277 However, the results are hypothetical and subject, in many cases, to divergent

etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

interpretations. Reconstructions derived from

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

and

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

words that have not been attested to be Dacian or that have not been documented in Dacian territory are speculatively based on the unproven theory that Dacian constitutes the main

linguistic substratum In linguistics, a stratum (Latin for 'layer') or strate is a historical layer of language that influences or is influenced by another language through contact. The notion of "strata" was first developed by the Italian linguist Graziadio Isaia A ...

of Romanian and a closely related language to Albanian, a circular method criticised by mainstream

historical linguistics Historical linguistics, also known as diachronic linguistics, is the scientific study of how languages change over time. It seeks to understand the nature and causes of linguistic change and to trace the evolution of languages. Historical li ...

Reconstruction of words from place and personal names

Methodology

Both Georgiev and Duridanov use the comparative linguistic method to decipher ancient

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

and Dacian names, respectively. Georgiev argues that one can reliably decipher the meaning of an ancient place-name in an unknown language by comparing it to its successor-names and to

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

place-names and words in other IE languages, both ancient and modern. He gives several examples of his methodology, of which one is summarised here: The city and river (a tributary of the Danube) in eastern

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

called

Cernavodă Cernavodă () is a town in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania with a population of 15,088 as of 2021. The town's name is derived from the Bulgarian ''černa voda'' ( in Cyrillic), meaning 'black water'. This name is regarded by some s ...

. In Slavic, the name means "black water". The same town in Antiquity was known as ''Άξίοπα'' (''Axiopa'') or ''Άξιούπολις'' (''Axioupolis'') and its river as the ''Άξιος'' (''Axios''). The working assumption is, therefore, that ''Axiopa'' means "black water" in Dacian. According to the known rules of formation of IE composite words, this breaks down as ''axi'' = "black" and ''opa'' or ''upa'' = "water" in Dacian (the ''-polis'' element is ignored, as it is a Greek suffix meaning "city"). The assumption is then validated by examining cognate placenames. The ''axi'' element is validated by a tributary of the

Vardar The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

called the ''Axios'', which is today known as '' Crna reka'' (located in Republic of Macedonia "black river") and by the older Greek name for the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, ''Άξεινος πόντος'' (''Axeinos pontos'', later altered to the euphemism ''Euxeinos pontos'' = "Hospitable sea"). The ''opa/upa'' element is validated by the Lithuanian cognate ''upė'' ("river"). This etymology is questioned by Russu: ''Axiopa'', a name attested only in

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea (; ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; ; – 565) was a prominent Late antiquity, late antique Byzantine Greeks, Greek scholar and historian from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman general Belisarius in Justinian I, Empe ...

' ''De Aedificiis'', may be a corrupt form of Axiopolis.See and . Ἀξιό^πλ is assumed to be an abbreviation for Axiopolis in the manuscripts of ''De Aedificiis''. Even if correct, however, Russu's objection does not invalidate the decipherment of the ''axi-'' element. Apart from Duridanov and Georgiev, other scholars have attempted to reconstruct Dacian and Thracian words. Russu (1967) attempted to decipher Thracian and Dacian

onomastic Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethonym'' ('true name') or an ''orthonym'' ('real name') is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onom ...

elements (placenames and personal names) by reference to presumed

proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

roots-words. Georgiev considers such a methodology (known as ''Wurzeletymologien'' = "root-etymologies") to be "devoid of scientific value". This is because the root-words themselves are reconstructions, which are in some cases disputed and in all cases subject to uncertainty; multiple root-words can often explain the same word; and the list of proposed IE root-words may not be complete. Reichenkron (1966) assumed that so-called "substratum" words in Romanian (those whose etymology cannot be ascribed to any of the fully documented languages that have influenced Romanian: Latin, Slavic, Hungarian, Greek, Turkish etc.) are of Dacian origin. But Polomé considers that such a methodology is not reliable. This is because there is no guarantee that the substratum words are, in fact, Dacian. Instead, they could derive from other, unknown or little-known tongues at some period current in Dacia or Moesia: for example, possible pre-Indo-European language(s) of the Carpathians.

Methodological problems

The methodology used by Georgiev and Duridanov has been questioned on a number of grounds, including: # The phonetic systems of Dacian and Thracian and their evolution are not reconstructed from elements derived directly from the ancient languages in question but from their approximative Greek and Latin transcripts. For example, Greek and Latin had no dedicated graphic signs for phonemes such as č, ġ, ž, š and others. Thus, if a Thracian or Dacian word contained such a phoneme, a Greek or Latin transcript would not represent it accurately. This could result in the wrong cognate being selected to decipher the Dacian name. # The etymologies that are adduced to validate the proposed Dacian and Thracian vowel- and consonant- changes (that are, in turn, used for word-reconstruction by the

comparative method In linguistics, the comparative method is a technique for studying the development of languages by performing a feature-by-feature comparison of two or more languages with common descent from a shared ancestor and then extrapolating backwards ...

) are open to divergent interpretations, since the material is strictly onomastic, with the exception of Dacian plant-names and of the limited number of glosses. Because of this, there are divergent and even contradictory assumptions for the phonological structure and development of the Dacian and Thracian languages. Polomé (1982) notes that, in the case of personal names, the choice of etymology is often based on such assumed phonological rules. # Dana argues that both Georgiev and Duridanov ignore the context of the names and start from arbitrary assumptions, such as considering a name to be of Dacian origin simply because it is attested in Dacia. In Dana's opinion, the Dacian origin of some of the names is doubtful or even excluded. Also, Duridanov's method is unreliable because most of the names he considers are unique. # Dana questions the validity of the Baltic etymologies used to decipher the Dacian names. # According to Messing, Duridanov's results are in contradiction with the reconstruction of a

Balto-Slavic The Balto-Slavic languages form a branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family of languages, traditionally comprising the Baltic languages, Baltic and Slavic languages. Baltic and Slavic languages share several linguistic traits ...

language group, as they show many parallels between Dacian and Baltic, but only a few with Slavic languages. (This objection is irrelevant if Baltic and Slavic constitute separate branches of IE (i.e. "Balto-Slavic" never existed, as some linguists maintain); or if, as Duridanov argues, Dacian acquired Baltic words through long-term proximity interaction with Baltic languages, rather than through a genetic link). Despite these objections, Georgiev and Duridanov claim a high degree of reliability for their reconstructions. However, Polomé (1982), in his survey of the state of research into paleo-Balkan languages for ''Cambridge Ancient History'', considers that only "20–25 Dacian, and 40–45 Thracian words have had reasonable, but not certain, Indo-European etymologies proposed". This compares with c. 100 Dacian words reconstructed by Duridanov, and c. 200 Thracian words by Georgiev.

Reconstructed Dacian words

;Key *PN:

placename Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...

*RN: river name *PRN:

personal name A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...

*TN: tribal name *LN: lake name *SN: swamp name *MN: mountain name *FN: field name *PLN: plant name , PN ''Almo'' (fort at river-mouth) , , , Lith. ''almėti'' ("to flow uninterruptedly"), Latv. ''aluot, aluoti'' , , , - , *amalas , mistletoe (Bot. '' Viscum album'') , PN ''Amlaidina'', prob. in Scythia Minor (Dobrogea, Rom.) , , , Lith. ''ãmalas''
Latv. ''amuols''
Rus. ''oméla'' , , , - , *ara , river-course, tide , RN ''Arine'' river in Dacia, PN Αρίνα, (Arina) fort in Moesia Inf. , , Gothic ''runs'' ("flow") , , Rom. Arieş, Mureş, Siret, Criş river names in Modern Romania Lith. RN Arina , , - , *auras, *auro , water, moisture, pool , RN Αύρας (Auras), river near Istros, Scythia Min. , *uer, *au(e)r 'wet, moisten' , Greek αν-αυρος (''an-auros'', "without water") , Alb. ''ujera'' "waters". , Old Pr. RN Aure , , - , *baidas , frightening, repulsive , PRN ''Baedarus'' (from Drobeta), PRN ''Bedarus'' (from Potaissa) , *bhoidho-s (Pok. IEW 162) , , Lith. ''baidýti'' ("to frighten")
Latv. ''baîdās, bailes'' ("fear", "anxiety"), Russian боиться (boit'sja) "to fear" , , , - , *balas,*balos , strong , PRN ''Decebalus'' , ''*bel'' ('strong'), , Sanskrit ''bala-m-'' 'force, strong' , Rom. fală, fălos - pride, imposing Alb. (Gheg) ''ballas'' "facing danger",''për''-''balcë'' "to face, defy" , , , - , *balas , white , PRN Balius (from Dacia) , ''*bhel-'' ('white, bright') , Ancient Greek ''phalos'', ''phalios'', anc. Greek ''balios'' "dappled"(< ''balios'' is considered a loan from Thracian or Illyrian; it is attested as far back as

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

'') , Rom. bălan (white (horse), blonde), bălai (blonde)
Lith. ''bãltas''
Latv. ''bãls''
Alb. ''bardhë'' "white", Alb. ''bal'', "piebald dog or horse" , , , - , *berza , birch-tree (Bot.

Betula A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

) , PN ''Bersovia'', ''Berzobis'' town in SW Dacia , ''*bhereg'' "shine", "white" including "birch-tree" , Old Bulg. ''*brěza'' , Lith. ''béržas''
Latv. ''bērzs''
Alb. ''bredh'' (< earlier ''*berdh'') , , Here, it is no observable difference between Thracian and Dacian , - , *bur, buris , plentiful, rich, swollen , PRN Burebista and PRN Mucabur , ''*b(e)u-, bh(e)u-''('to swell, inflate, plentiful') , Old Indian ''bhū́-ri-ḥ'' 'rich, a lot, immense' , Lith. ''būrys'' ("a lot, a bunch, a flock")
Latv. ''burvis'' (a mag), ''bur, buris'' (conjuring)
Alb. ''boll'' ("plenty") , , , - , *brukla ,

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines up to long and in height; they have slender stems that are not th ...

(Bot. ''Vaccinium Oxycoccus'') , PN '' Brucla''
(fort in Dacia, W of R. Mureş) , ''*bhreu-k-'' ("to spread") , , Latv. ''brūkle, brūklene'', ''brūklenāys'' (cowberry plant-place)
Lith. ''bruknė''
Alb.''brukë'' "tamarind" , Latv. MN Brùkļu
Lith. SN Bruklynė , , - , *buta(s) , house, hut, dwelling , PN Βούττις (Buttis)(fort in Dacia Med.)
PN ''Boutae'' (mountain pass into Dacia) , , , Lith. ''bùtas'', ''butà''
Latv. ''buts, būda'' ("small house")
Old Pr. ''buttan''
Alb. ''bujt'' "dwell, accommodate", ''bujtinë'' "small house" , Latv. ''PN Butani''
Old Pr. PN Butyn
Lith. RN Butėnių (kaimas) , The Dacian origin of ''Bouttis'' is controversial. , - , *čuk- , peak, summit , PN Thōkyōdis Via
PN *Thoukysidantikī , ''*ḱu-'' ("sharp", "pike") , , Rom. ''ciucă'', ''cioc'' "beak"
Bulg. ''čuka'' "small hill"
Latv. ''čuk-ur-s'' (summit of roof)
Alb. ''çuka'' "crest", ''suka'' "hillock"
Greek ''τσούκα'' "tumulus"
Hung. ''csùcs'' , Rom. MN Ciuc (possibly from Hung. ''csík'')
Rom. MN Ciucaș , , - , *daba , character, nature , PRN Δαβεις (Dabis) , , Old Slavonic ''dob-'' , Lith. ''dabá''
Latv. ''daba''
Rom. ''teapă'' , Pol. PRN Doba, Dobe , , - , *daba , put in order, good , PRN Dabeis , *dabh ('arrange, suitable') , , , , , - , *d(i)egis , burning, shining , PRN ''Degis'' , ''dhegʷh'' ('to burn') , Sanskrit ''dáhati'' ("it burns"), Mid Iranian ''daig'' , Lith. ''dègti'' ("to burn")
Latv. ''deglis'' ("burning torch")
Alb. ''djeg'' ("burn") , , , - , *dina(s) , place, region, plain , PN ''Amlaidina'', ''Asbolodina'' , , , , Old Pr. PN Resedynen , , - , *dita(s) , light (noun), bright (adj.) , PRN ''Ditugentus'' , ''*dei-'', ''*di-'' (to shine, shimmer) , Thrac. ''*ditas'' , Alb. ''ditë'' ("day") , Old Pr. PRN Ditte
Lith. PN Ditava , , - , *drasda ,

thrush (bird) The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flyca ...

, PN ''Drasdea'' , , Old Slav. ''drozda'' , Bulg. ''drozd'' thrush
Latv. ''strazds'' ("thrush") Lith. ''strazdas ("thrush")''
Alb. ''trishta'' , Lith. ''strãzdas''
Lat. ''draza''
Eng. ''thrush''
Swe. ''trast''
Irish ''truid'' , Old Pr. PN Drasda , - , *dribas/*drigas , wild, restless , PRN Dribalus
PRN Aurelius Drigissa, a veteran of ''

Legio VII Claudia Legio VII Claudia (Latin for "The 7th Claudian Legion") was a legion of the Ancient Roman army. History Legio VII was the first legion Julius Caesar raised for his campaigns in Cisalpine Gaul. In Caesar's account of the battle against the ...

'' , , , Latv. ''dribis'', ''dribulis'' ("a restless man")
Lith. ''drignis''
Alb. ''dridhem'' "to shake, tremble" , Latv. PN Driba
Lith. PN Drigotas
Old Latv. RN Dryzel
Rus. (Baltic origin) RN Drigin'a , , - , *duia , swamp or mist, drizzle , PN Δουιανα (Duiana), fort in

Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Mediterranea (Mid-land Dacia; ) was a late antique Roman province, whose capital city was Serdica (or Sardica; later Sradetz or Sredets, now Sofia). The date for the establishment of Dacia Mediterranea is uncertain. It was traditionally h ...

, , , Lith. ''dujà'' (both meanings)
Latv. ''dujs'' ("dirty")
Alb. ''ndyj'' "dirt" , Latv. PN Dujas
Russian (Baltic origin) RN Dyja
Lith. PN Daujėnai , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , *dūmas , dark brown , PN ''Dimum'' (from ''*Dumum'') , , Old Irish ''dumhach'' ("dark, foggy") , Lith. ''dūmas''
Latv. ''dūms''
Alb.''tym'' ("fog, smoke, uncertainty")
E.Bengali. "dhuma" (smoke, fog)
Bulg. ''tama'' ("darkness, uncertainty") , Thrac. PN Δὐμη (Dimi) , , - , *galtis , sheet-ice, frost , PN ''Galtis'' , ''gel(ǝ)'' ('cold, freeze') , , Latv. ''gàla''
Rus. ''golot''
Lith. ''gailus'' (cold) ''gelti'' (to bite, to sting, to ache) , Old Pr. PN Galtengarb , , - , *genukla , pasture, meadow , PN Γένουκλα ('' Genucla'')
(fortress of Getan king Zyraxes on Danube) , , , Lith. ''ganyklà''
Latv. ''ganīkla''
Alb. ''gjanë'' "river mud" , Latv. SN Dzęnuklis , , - , *ger , smart, awake , PRN Gerula , ''*ger-4, grēi-''(to grow; to awake) , , Latin ''agilis'' Rom. "''ager" "smart, clever"'' , , , - , - , *geras , good (-natured), kind , PRN ''Gerulo''
PRN ''Gerula'' , ''*g^uer(α)-'' , , Lith. ''gēras'',
Alb. ''gjorë'' "miserable, wretched" , Lith. PN Gerulių, RN Gerùlis , , - , *germas , hot, warm , PN Γέρμαζα (Germaza), PN Γερμἰζερα (Germizera) , *g^hwer- , Latin ''formus''
Sanskrit ''gharma'' , Rom. "jar" "embers"
Latv. ''gařme''
Gr. θερμὀς,
Alb. ''zjarm'' "fire, heat" , Thrac. PN Γερμανἰα
Bulg. RN Germania , , - , *gilus , deep , PN '' Gildoba'', unknown "Thracian" location where St. Julius was revered , , , Lith. ''gilùs''
Latv. ''dziļš''
Old Pr. ''gillin'' , Lith. RNs Gilijà, Gilupis, Gỹlė
Old Pr. LN Gilge
Latv. LN Dziļaune , , - , *gira (giria) , forest or mountain , PN '' Giridava'' , ''gʷeru'' ('pole, pike') , Sanskrit ''girí-h'' ("mountain") , Lith. ''girė'', ''girià'' ("forest")
Latv. ''dzire'' ("mountain")
Rus. ''gora'' 'mountain'
Bulg. ''gora'' 'forest'
Alb. ''gur'' "stone" , , , - , *granda , plank , PN Γράνδετον (Grandeton), fort near Naissus (Moesia Superior) , , , Bulg. ''greda'' ("beam")
Lith. ''grandà'' ("bridge-plank")
Old Pr. ''grandico''
Latv. ''gruõdi'' , Lith. PN Grandų káimas
Latv. RNs Gruõds, Gruõdi, Gruõdupis
Rom. ''grinda'' , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , *griva , river-bed or river-mouth , PN Γρίβο (''Grivo''), fort near Naissus (moesia Sup.) , , Thrac. ? ''*grava'' ("valley" or "river-bed") , Latv. ''grĩva'' ("river-mouth")
Lith. ''greva'' ("river-bed")
Alb. ''gravë'' "cave, lair" , Lith. RN Grýva
Latv. RNs ''Grīva'', ''Grīvīte'' , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , kaga , sacred, holy , kaga , ''*kʷog(h)-'' (< ''*kʷeg(h)-'') , , Old Slav. ''kazat'', ''skazat'' ("to tell", "to say") , , , - , *kalas , catfish (?) , RN ''Calabaeus'' , , Latin ''squālus'' ("large sea fish, shark")
Old Norse ''hualr'' ("whale") , Old Pr. ''kalis'' ("catfish") , , , - , *kapas , hill, slope , PN Καπίδαυα ( Capidava) , , , Lith. ''kãpas''
Latv. ''kãpa'' ("dune, slope")
Alb. ''kapë'' ("huge heap") , , , - , *kapura , hill , PN ''Capora'' (in basin of river ''Tyras'' (

Dniester The Dniester ( ) is a transboundary river in Eastern Europe. It runs first through Ukraine and then through Moldova (from which it more or less separates the breakaway territory of Transnistria), finally discharging into the Black Sea on Uk ...

) , , , Lith. ''kapùrna'' ("mossy mound") , , , - , *karpa , to cut, stone , MN ''Carpates'' TN Karpoi, Carpi, , *sker, *ker ("to cut"), , , Latv. ''kārpa'' (from ''kārpīt'' ("to dig and to kick"))
Alb. ''karpe'' (*karp-m-) ("stone"), ''këput'' "to cut". , Carpathian Mts., Carpi tribe . , , - , *karsa , cave , PN ''Carsion''
Thrac. PN ''Carsaleon'' , , , , , , - , *katas , stable, animal enclosure , PN Κάττουζα (Cattuza) , , Avestan ''kata-'' ("cellar") , Alb. ''katoq'', ''kotec'', "animal enclosure" , Latv. PN Katužs , , - , *keda , seat, stool , PN ''

Cedonia Cedonia was a fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The t ...

'' , , , Lith. ''kedė'' , , , - , *kerba , swampy ground , PN ''Cerbatis'' , , , Lith. ''kirba'' , Lith. RN Kerbẽsas , , - , *kerna , bush , PN ''*Cerna'' , , , Old. Pr. ''kirno''
Lith. ''kirna'' ("undergrowth") , Lith. LN Kernỹs , , - , *kerta , clearing in a wood , PN ''Certie'' , , , Lith. ''kertė''
Latv. ''cirte'' (clearing in a wood), ''cērte'' (pickaxe) , , , - , *kina , dry ground (mound) in a swamp , PN ''Ciniscus'' , , , Lith. ''kinė'', ''kinis''
Latv. ''cine'', ''cin(i)s'' , , , - , *klevas ,

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

-tree (Bot.) , PN ''Clevora'' , , , Lith. ''klevas''
Latv. ''klavs''
Bulg. ''klen'' maple , , , - , *krata , swampy place or pile, heap , PN Κρατίσκαρα (Cratiscara) , , , Lith. ''kratà'' ("heaped"), ''kritùs'' ("swampy")
Latv. ''krata'' ("shaking when driving on bumpy road") , , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , *kurta , grove (stand of planted trees, often sacred) , PN Κουρτα (Curta); Thrac. PN Κουρτουσουρα (Curtusura) , , , Old Pr. ''korto''
Alb. ''korije'' "grove" , , , - , *lug- , swamp, bog , RN Λύγινος (Luginos) , , Illyr. ἔλος Λοὐγεον , Latv. ''luga''
Rus. ''luža'' ("puddle")
Alb.''lug'' ("trough"), ''ligatinë'' ("bog"), ''luginë'' ("valley") , Gallic PN ''Lugdunum'' (Lyon) , , - , *mala , (river) bank, shore, beach , PN Dacia Malvensis (name of Roman province) , , , Rom. ''mal''
Latv. ''mala'' , Alb. ''mal'' = elevated ground, mountain, hill. , ''

Dacia Malvensis Roman Dacia ( ; also known as ; or Dacia Felix, ) was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today all in Romania, except the last regio ...

'' meant "river-bank Dacia", ref. to its situation on (north) bank of Danube. Name Latinised to ''Dacia Riparia'' or ''Ripensis'' (Latin: ''rīpa'' = "riverbank") in new province created by

Aurelian Aurelian (; ; 9 September ) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 270 to 275 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had nearly disinte ...

on south side of Danube after evacuation of Dacia. , - , *maska , pool, puddle , PN Μασκάς (Maskas) , , , , Latv. PN Mãskas , , - , *mauda(s) , hemlock (

Conium ''Conium'' ( or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae. , Plants of the World Online accepts six species. All species of the genus are poisonous to humans. ''C. maculatum'', also known as hemlock, is infamous for being highly ...

)(bot.) , PN Pomodiana , , , Lith. ''maudá'', ''máudas'' , Illyrian PN Pamodus (island) , , - , *medeka , glade (clearing in a forest) , PN Μέδεκα (Medeka) , , , Lith. ''medėkas'' , , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , *musas , mould, moss , RN Μουσαίος (Museos), Thrac. PN Μωσυπα (Muspa) , , Old Slav. мъсһъ
Old High German ''mos'' ("swamp")
Gr. μὐσος (músos) , Lith. ''mūsas'' (''mùsas'')
Alb. ''myshk'' "mould, moss" , , , - , *nara(s) , river, brook , RN (Rom. from Dac.) Nǎruja , , , Lith. ''nérti'' ("to dive", "swim underwater")
Latv. ''nāra'' ("mermaid" from ''nirt'' ("to dive"))
Alb. ''hum''-''nerë'' "precipice, chasm" , Lith. RN Neris, Narùpis
Illyr. RN Νάρον , , - , *net- , flow , PN Νετίνδαυα (Netindava), RN Netupa , , Latin ''natāre'' ("to swim") , Alb.''not'' "to swim" Rom.''înot'' "to swim" , , , - , *padas , threshing-floor , PN Παδισάρα (Padisara) , , , Lith. ''pãdas''
Bulg. ''pad'' fall , , , - , *pala, *palma , swamp, bog , PN Παλαδεινα (Paladina); PN ''Palmatis'' , , Latin ''palūs'' , Lith. ''pãlios''
Latv. ''pali'' ("floods")
Alb.''pellg'' ("swamp") , Lith. RN Palminỹs , , - , *pil- , to flow , RN ''Gilpil'' , , , Lith. ''pilti'' ("to pour, to flow")
Latv. ''pilt'' ("to drip, to fill up"), ''pile'' ("a drop")
Bulg. ''pilea'' scatter , , , - , *preida ,

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

-tree (Bot. ''pinus'') , PN Πρέιδις (Pridis) , , , Latv. ''priẽde''
Alb.''bredh'' ("fir tree")
Bulg. ''bor'' ("pine-tree") , , , - , *put- , to swell, thicken , PN ''Putina'' , , , Lith. ''pūstis'' ("to swell"); Lith ''pùtinas'' ("snowball") , Old Latv. PRN ''Putte'' , , - , *rabo, rebo , 'to move' 'to flow' 'be in motion' , RN Rabon river in Dacia (Jiul?) It was etymologically connected with Arabon (Narabon?) from Pannonia , *rebh 'to move' 'to flow' 'be in motion' , , Alb. ''rrjedh'' ("to flow") , , , - , *ramus , peaceful, restful , PN Ραμίδαυα ( Ramidava); Thrac. PN Rhamae , , Sanskrit ''rámate'' , Lith. ''ramùs''
Latv. ''rāms'' ("calm, peaceful")
Alb. ''ramun'' ("fallen asleep") , Latv. Rāmava , , - , *rō(u)ka , drizzle, fine rain , PN (from RN) ''Rhocobae'' , , , Lith. ''rõkė''
Alb. ''rrjedh'' "to flow" or ''rajka'' "falling(snow, rain etc.)"
, , , - , *rus- , to flow , PN '' Rusidava''; Thrac. PN Ροὐσιον , , , Lith. ''ruséti'' ("to flow slowly")
Alb.''rreshje'' "precipitation"
, , , - , *san-apa , confluence (of two rivers) , RN ''Sanpaeus'' , , , Lith. ''Santaka'' , Lith. LN Sampė (< *San-upė) , , - , *sausas , dry , PRN ''Sausa'' , *saus- ('dry') , , Lith. ''saũsas''
Latv. ''sauss'' ("dry")
Alb. ''thatë'' "dry"
Bulg. ''suh'' ("dry") , , , - , *sermas , river, river-current , PN ''

Sirmium Sirmium was a city in the Roman province of Pannonia, located on the Sava river, on the site of modern Sremska Mitrovica in the Vojvodina autonomous province of Serbia. First mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by Illyrians ...

'' , , , , , , - , *skabas , sharp, quick, lively , PRN Σκαβης (Scabis) , , Latin ''scābēre'' ("to scratch") , Lith. ''skubus'' ("prompt, swift"), ''skabùs'' ("sharp"), ''skabrùs'' ("quick, lively")
Latv. ''skuba'' ("hurry"), ''skubināt'' ("to hurry, to rush")
Alb. ''i shkathët'' "quick, prompt" , , , - , *skaudus , painful, sad or powerful , TN ''Scaugdae'' , , , Lith. ''skaudùs''
Latv. ''skauds'', ''skaudrs'' ("very intensive" (pain)) , , , - , *skena , clearing (in a wood) , PN Scenopa , , , Lith. ''nuo-skena'' , , , - , *skuia , fir-tree (Bot.) , PN Σκουάνες (Scuanes) , ''sk(h)u̯oi̯-, sk(h)u̯i(i̯)-'' ('needle, thorn') , Old Slav. ''chvoja'' (pine needles/branches) , Latv. ''skuja'' ("spruce-needle")
Alb. ''hu'' "stake, picket, pole" , , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , *skumbras , hill, down , PN Σκουμβρο (Scumbro) , , Old Alb. ''zëmbres'', ''zbres'' ("to go down) , Latv. ''kumbrs'' ("rounded top of a hill") , , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial. , - , *spirus , fast, quick, rapid , RN Πασπίριος (Paspirios) , , , Lith. ''spėrus''
Latv. ''spars'' ("force, zeal"), ''spert'' ("to hit quickly")
Old Alb. ''shpjertë'', Alb. ''shpejtë'' "fast, quick"
Bulg. ''skoro'' ("quickly, fast") , , , - , *stendas , stiff, rigid, viscose , PN Στένδαι (Stende) , , , Lith. ''standùs'', Alb. ''tendos'' "rigid", Bulg. ''stena'' ("wall") , Latv. RN Steñde , The Dacian origin of this toponym is controversial.Thracian according to , but Latin according to . , - , *suka , rip, tear, gap , PN Σουκίδαυα (Sucidava); Thrac. PN ''Succi'' (mt. pass) , , , Lith. ''šùkė''
Latv. ''sukums''
Alb. ''shuk'' or ''shkun'' "to shake, beat, push" , , , - , *sunka , liquid, to flow , PN (from RN) Σονκητα (Sunkita) , , , Lith. ''sunkà'' ("liquid", "tree-sap"),
Alb. ''lëng'' "liquid" , Lith. RN Sunkìnė , , - , *suras , salty , PN Σούρικον (Suricon) , , , Lith. ''sūras''
Latv. ''sūrs'' ("salty and bitter")
Alb. ''shurrë'' "urine", "sour liquid" , , , - , *taras , chatterer, gossiper , PRN Tara , , , Alb.''thërras'' "call" , , , - , *tauta , people, nation, country , PRN ''Tautomedes'' , , Old Pr. ''tauto'' ("country")
Goth. '' thiuda'' ("people")
Old Irish '' tuath'' ("people") , Lith. ''tautà'' ("people, country")
Latv. ''tauta'' ("people"),
Alb.''Tënde'' ("your kin", "your own") , , , - , *tiras , bare, barren, desolate , FN Τίριξις (Tirizis) , , , Lith. ''týras''
Latv. ''tīrs'' ("clean") , , , - , *tut- , blow, emit smoke , RN ''Τοὐτης'' (Tutes) , , , Lith. ''tűtúoti'' ("to blow", "to sound horn")
Ger. ''tuten'' ("to hoot")
Alb. ''tyta'' "pipe, barrel", ''tym/tymos'' "smoke, to smoke" , Lith RN Tūtupis , , - , *upa , river , PN ''Scenopa'' , , , Lith. ''upė''
Latv. ''upe'' ("river") , , , - , *urda(s) , stream, brook , RN Όρδησσός (Ordessos); Thrac. PN (from RN) Οὐρδαυς (Urdanes) , , , Lith. ''urdulỹs''
Latv. ''urdaviņa''
Alb. ''hurdhë'' "brook" , Celtic RN Urda, Bulg. RN Arda , , - , *vaigas , fast, rapid , PN (from RN) ''Aegeta'' , , , , Lith. RN Váigupis , , - , *varpa , whirlpool , PN (from RN) Άρπις (Harpis) , , , Lith. ''verpetas''
Latv. ''virpa'' ("whirlpool")
Alb. ''vorbull'' "whirlpool" , Lith. RN Varpė , , - , *visas , fertile, fruitful , PN Βισ-δίνα (Visdina) , , , Lith. ''vislus'', ''vaisùs'' , Lith. PN Visalaukė , , - , *zalmo- , fur, skin, shield , PRN Ζαλμοδεγικος (Zalmodenicos)
Ζάλμοξις (

Zalmoxis Zalmoxis is a divinity of the Getae and Dacians (a people of the lower Danube), mentioned by Herodotus in his ''Histories'' Book IV, 93–96, written before 425 BC. Said to have been so called from the bear's skin (ζάλμος) in which ...

) , , , Alb. ''thelmë'' "rag, patch" (in sewing) , , , - , *zelmas , shoot (of a plant) , PRN Ζαλμοδεγικος , , , Lith. ''želmuo''
Latv. ''zelmenis'' ("a field of shoots, shoots in the field"), ''zelt'' ("to grow, to become green")
Alb. ''çel'' ("blossom") , , , - , *zud-as , careful, precise , PRN ''Zude'' , , , Latv. ''zūdit'' ("to take care") , Lith. PN Zude, Zudius , Alb. ''kujdes'' ("to take care") , - , *zuras , hot, shining , RN ''Zyras'' , , Sanskrit ''jūrvati'' ("scorched") , Latv. ''zvêruot'' ("to light up", "shine"), Lith.''žaros'' ("sparkles, glow"),
Alb.''Ziej, i zier'' ("boiling" "hot") , Latv. PN (< RN) Zūras
Lith. RN Žiūrà ,

Alleged words reconstructed from Romanian and Albanian

Georgiev, Duridanov and Russu concur that the Dacian language constitutes the main pre-Latin substratum of the modern Romanian language. Duridanov also accepts Georgiev's theory that modern Albanian is descended from "Daco-Moesian". Where words in modern Albanian and/or Romanian can be plausibly linked to an Indo-European root and modern cognates of similar meaning, a reconstruction of the putative Dacian originals have been proposed by Duridanov, who included them in a separate list from words reconstructed from placenames. CAVEAT: The following word-reconstructions are based on the assumption that the Albanian language is descended from "Daco-Moesian". This theory is contested by many linguists, especially Albanian, who consider the language a direct descendant of the extinct

Illyrian language The Illyrian language () was an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language or group of languages spoken by the Illyrians in Southeast Europe during antiquity. The language is unattested with the exception of personal names and placenames. ...

. Thus, reconstructions based on modern Albanian words, or Romanian substratum words with Albanian cognates, may in reality represent ancient Illyrian, rather than Dacian, elements. In addition, the reconstructions below, unlike those in Table A above, are not validated by Dacian place- or personal names. The "Dacianity" of the reconstructions is therefore completely speculative, in comparison to those derived from placenames. (N.B. Even if Albanian is descended from Illyrian, the reconstructions below could nevertheless represent Dacian elements if the " Daco-Illyrian" theory - that the Dacian and Illyrian languages were closely related - is correct; or if the words below represent Illyrian borrowings from "Daco-Moesian", but not if they represent "Daco-Moesian" borrowings from Illyrian)

Notes

References

Ancient

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquit ...

''Res Gestae'' (c. 395) *

Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides (, ; 40–90 AD), "the father of pharmacognosy", was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of (in the original , , both meaning "On Materia medica, Medical Material") , a 5-volume Greek encyclopedic phar ...

''De Materia Medica'' (c. AD 80) *

Jordanes Jordanes (; Greek language, Greek: Ιορδάνης), also written as Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th-century Eastern Roman bureaucrat, claimed to be of Goths, Gothic descent, who became a historian later in life. He wrote two works, one on R ...

Getica ''De origine actibusque Getarum'' (''The Origin and Deeds of the Getae''), commonly abbreviated ''Getica'' (), written in Late Latin by Jordanes in or shortly after 551 AD, claims to be a summary of a voluminous account by Cassiodorus of the ori ...

'' (c. 550) *

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

Geographia The ''Geography'' (, , "Geographical Guidance"), also known by its Latin names as the ' and the ', is a gazetteer, an atlas, and a treatise on cartography, compiling the geographical knowledge of the 2nd-century Roman Empire. Originally wri ...

'' (c. 140) * Pseudo-Apuleius ''De Herbarum Virtutibus'' (5th century) * Sextus Aurelius Victor ''De Caesaribus'' (361) *

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

Geographica The ''Geographica'' (, ''Geōgraphiká''; or , "Strabo's 17 Books on Geographical Topics") or ''Geography'', is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 'books', written in Greek in the late 1st century BC, or early 1st cen ...

'' (c. AD 20) *

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...

'' (c. 100) *

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alch ...

''Historia Nova'' (c. 500)

Modern

* * * * * * ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World (2000)'' * * CIL: ''

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...

'' * * * * * * * Duridanov, I. (1969): ''Die Thrakisch- und Dakisch-Baltischen Sprachbeziehungen'' * * * Jones, A. H. M. (1964): ''The Later Roman Empire, 284-602'' * * Lloshi, Xhevat (1999): ''Albanian'' in ''Handbuch der Südosteuropa Linguistik'' Band 10 (online) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Renfrew, Colin (1987): ''Archaeology and Language: the Puzzle of Indo-European Origins'' * * * * * * * * * * Thompson, E.A. (1982): ''Zosimus 6.10.2 and the Letters of Honorius'' in ''Classical Quarterly'' 33 (ii)

External links

Sorin Olteanu's Project: Linguae Thraco-Daco-Moesorum – Toponyms Section
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reconstructed Dacian Words Balkans-related lists