List of reconstructed Dacian words explained

This article contains a list of reconstructed words of the ancient Dacian language. They have been restored by some linguists from attested place and personal names (toponyms and anthroponyms) from the historical region of Dacia.^{[1] [2]}

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, complemented by analysis of the historical evolution of such placenames.^{[3] [4]} However, the results are hypothetical and subject, in many cases, to divergent etymological interpretations.

Reconstructions derived from Romanian and Albanian 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 of Romanian and a closely related language to Albanian, a circular method criticised by mainstream historical linguistics.^[5]

Reconstruction of words from place and personal names

Methodology

Both Georgiev and Duridanov use the comparative linguistic method to decipher ancient Thracian 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 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 called Cernavodă. 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 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, 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").^[4] This etymology is questioned by Russu: Axiopa, a name attested only in Procopius' De Aedificiis, may be a corrupt form of Axiopolis.^[6] 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 elements (placenames and personal names) by reference to presumed proto-Indo-European 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:

1. 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.
2. 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) 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.
3. 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.
4. Dana questions the validity of the Baltic etymologies used to decipher the Dacian names.
5. According to Messing, Duridanov's results are in contradiction with the reconstruction of a Balto-Slavic 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
• RN: river name
• PRN: personal name
• TN: tribal name
• LN: lake name
• SN: swamp name
• MN: mountain name
• FN: field name
• PLN: plant name

TABLE A: ATTESTED DACIAN WORDS
(exc Dacian plant names)! Dacian
word !! Meaning !! Attestation !! Possible Indo-European
root-word(s) !! Ancient cognates !! Modern cognates !! Notes

dava	city, settlement	e.g. PN Rusidava
per	son (child)	inscription Decebal per Scorilo ("Decebal son of Scorilus")^[7]		Thrac. -por ("son of": PRN Mucapor = "son of Muka") Iranic -pur (e.g. Shapur = "son of the king" Latin puer ("boy")	Alb. bir ("son") Lith. bernas ("lad"), peras^[8] ("whelp"),Latv. bērns ("child"), Rom."prichindel"("small child")
-zila or -dila	plant, herb (bot.)	Dacian plant-names		Gaulish dula ("leaf")	Lith. žolė Latv. zāle	Per Georgiev, the suffixes -dela, -dil(l)a, -zila and -tilia indicate names of medicinal plants.^[9]

TABLE B: DACIAN WORDS RECONSTRUCTED FROM ANCIENT NAMES! Reconstructed
Dacian word^[10] !! Meaning !! Attestation !! Possible Indo-European
root-word(s) !! Ancient cognates
(same meaning unless stated) !! Modern cognates
(same meaning unless stated) !! Cognate
placenames !! Notes

aba, apa	water, river	RN *Calabaeus,^[11] river in Scythia Minor RN Apos	ab- ("water", "river") It derived from akwa (shift kw>p, gw>b)	Latin amnis (der.< arch. Latin *abnis), Old Persian ap- ("river")	Old Pr. ape ("river") Lith: Upė, Latv. upe ("river"), Romanian: apă, Alb. amë "river bed" also hap "opening" (< PAl *abnā)	Latv. RN Abava, Abula Dac. RN Apos	Apos is a Dacian or an Illyrian river name
akmon	stone, rock	PN Άκμονία^[12] (Acmonia)^[13] in R. Dacia between river Thibiscum and Sarmizegethusa	ak- ("sharp")	Greek άχμον (akmon, "meteorite")	Lith. akmuo Old Latv. akmuons, Latv. akmens, akmenis Alb. kmesë "sickle" Romanian: ac ("needle")	Lith. RN Akmene, LN Akmenas Phrygian PN Άκμονία (Akmonia)	Acmonia was spelled Augmonia and Agmonia by the Geographer of Ravenna
aksi-	black	PN Άξίοπα (Axiopa), town in Scythia Minor, RN Axios, Macedonian river (now Vardar)		Old Persian a-xsei 'black, dark'	Alb. i zi "black", nxij "tarnish"		(i) According to Georgiev, Dacian Axiopa was translated by Slavic successor-population into mod. name Cernavoda ("Black Water"). River Axios was similarly translated into mod. Bulg. name Crna Rijeka ("Black River") (ii) Acc. to Parvulescu, Axios name reflects the Iranic (via the Scythian language) root a-xsei 'black, dark' . (iii) Russu argues Axiopa is not a Dacian name, but a corrupt rendition of Axiopolis (a town of Scythia Minor).
albo	white	PN Alboca (Dacia)TN = Albocensi	albho ("white")	Latin albus	Romanian: alb Alb. elb (
alda (noun), *alta- (adj.)	swamp, waterlogged place	PN Άλδανες (Aldanes):^[14] fort near Naissus (Moesia Sup.) PN Αλτίνα (Altina):^[15] fort nr. Tramarisca	olda, *olta ("water", "odorous")		Lith. aleti ("flooded") Latv. aluots, avuots ("source") Arm. ałt ("filthy") Alb. balta ("mud", "clay", "dirt") Rom. baltă ("puddle", "pond")	Latv. RN Aldes. SN Altenes Lith. RN Altis	The Dacian origin of Aldanes is controversial.^[16]
alm-	to flow, to stream	RN Almus,^[17] Dacia Ripensis (Lom, Bulg.

, PN Almo (fort at river-mouth)|||Lith. almėti ("to flow uninterruptedly"), Latv. aluot, aluoti|||-|*amalas|mistletoe (Bot. Viscum album)|PN Amlaidina,^[18] prob. in Scythia Minor (Dobrogea, Rom.)|||Lith. ãmalas
Latv. amuols
Rus. oméla|||-|*ara|river-course, tide|RN Arine^[19] river in Dacia, PN Αρίνα, (Arina)^[20] fort in Moesia Inf.||Gothic runs ("flow")||Rom. Arieş, Mureş, Siret, Criş river names in Modern Romania Lith. RN Arina||-|*auras, *auro^[21] |water, moisture, pool|RN Αύρας (Auras),^[22] 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),^[23] PRN Bedarus (from Potaissa)^[24] |*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)^[25] |*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's Iliad)^[26] |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)|PN Bersovia,^[27] Berzobis^[28] 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 (Bot. Vaccinium Oxycoccus) |PN Brucla^[29]
(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)^[30] (fort in Dacia Med.)
PN Boutae^[31] (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.^[32] |-|*čuk-^[33] |peak, summit|PN Thōkyōdis Via^[34]
PN *Thoukysidantikī^[35] |*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^[36] |*dei-, *di- (to shine, shimmer)|Thrac. *ditas|Alb. ditë ("day")|Old Pr. PRN Ditte
Lith. PN Ditava||-|*drasda|thrush (bird)|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^[37]
PRN Aurelius Drigissa,^[38] a veteran of Legio VII Claudia|||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^[39] |||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.^[40] |-|*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)^[41]
(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)-^[42] ||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,^[43] 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.^[44] |-|*griva|river-bed or river-mouth|PN Γρίβο (Grivo),^[45] 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.^[46] |-|kaga^[47] |sacred, holy|kaga^[48] |*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^[49] (in basin of river Tyras (Dniester)|||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|||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-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.^[50] |-|*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 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 on south side of Danube after evacuation of Dacia.|-|*maska|pool, puddle|PN Μασκάς (Maskas)||||Latv. PN Mãskas||-|*mauda(s)|hemlock (Conium)(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.^[51] |-|*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-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||||||-|*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.^[52] |-|*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.^[53] |-|*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.^[54] |-|*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)|||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. 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)

TABLE C: ALLEGED DACIAN WORDS RECONSTRUCTED FROM ALBANIAN AND ROMANIAN WORDS^[55] ! Dacian
word !! Meaning !! Albanian and Romanian word !! Possible Indo-European
root-word(s) !! Modern cognates !! Notes

bred-	fir-tree (Abies alba)	Alb. bredh Rom. brad	bhreg'-os, *bhrog'-os (Pokorny IEW 139)	Lith. brãzas (resin), Old Slav. brěza (birch)
daina	song	Rom. dialect daină, doină Alb. zana "mountain fairy"	doina	Lith. dainà, Lat. daīņa
mal-	bank, shore or mountain	Alb. mal (mountain) Rom. mal (bank, shore)	mol- (Pok. aaO. 721f)	Lat. mala (beach, shore)
spand-	hellebore (plant: Helleborus purpurescens)	Alb. shpendër Rom. spînz	sponǎ(i)- (Georgiev 1965 p80)	Lat. spuóds (bright)
skrumb	ash, burnt material	Alb. shkrumb Rom. scrum	skrṃb(h)-	Lith. skrembù (skrebti)	Old Prussian placename Scrumbayn (today Schrombehnen)
strunga	milking-enclosure	Alb. shtrungë Rom. strungă	strṇgā		Dacian placename Στρὁγγες (Proc. Aed. IV.4)
zuv-	fish	Rom. juvete (a species of fish)	g'hduụ- (Pok. IEW 416)	Lith. žuvis Lat. dial. zuva	Dac. placename Ζουσἱδαυα

See also

• List of Romanian words of possible Dacian origin
• List of Dacian plant names
• List of Dacian names
• Dacian language
• Baltic languages
• Thracian language
• Phrygian language
• Albanian–Romanian linguistic relationship
• Davae
• List of ancient cities in Thrace and Dacia

References

Ancient

• Ammianus Marcellinus Res Gestae (c. 395)
• Dioscorides De Materia Medica (c. AD 80)
• Jordanes Getica (c. 550)
• Ptolemy Geographia (c. 140)
• Pseudo-Apuleius De Herbarum Virtutibus (5th century)
• Sextus Aurelius Victor De Caesaribus (361)
• Strabo Geographica (c. AD 20)
• Tacitus Germania (c. 100)
• Zosimus Historia Nova (c. 500)

Modern

• Book: Abramea , Anna P . Thrace. 1994. Idea Advertising-Marketing. 9789608560918.
• Book: Asenova. Petja. Bulgarian . Handbuch der Südosteuropa-Linguistik. 1999. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz. 9783447039390.
• Book: Apostolos Athanassakis

. Athanassakis. Apostolos N.. Apostolos Athanassakis. Okeanos: Mythic and Linguistic Origins. Proceedings of the tenth annual UCLA Indo-European Conference, Los Angeles, May 21–23, 1998. 1999. 95–116.

• Book: Beševliev. Veselin. Zur Deutung der Kastellnamen in Prokops Werk "De Aedificiis". 1970. Amsterdam . Adolf M. Hakkert.
• Book: Fraser , P.M. . Samothrace: no. 1. The inscriptions on stone edited by Karl Lehmann, Phyllis Williams Lehmann. 1959. Pantheon Books.
• Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World (2000)
• Book: Gordon. Childe. The Bronze Age/With Map. 1930. Biblo-Moser. 978-0819601230.
• CIL: Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
• Book: John Boardman (art historian)

. Crossland. R.A.. Boardman. John. John Boardman (art historian). Linguistic problems of the Balkan area in the late prehistoric and early Classical period. The Cambridge Ancient History. III.1. 1982. Cambridge University Press. 978-0521224963.

• Dana. Dan. Les daces dans les ostraca du désert oriental de l'Égypte. Morphologie des noms daces.. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik . 2003. 143. 166–186.
• Book: Detschew. Dimiter. Die thrakischen Sprachreste. 1957. Vienna . Rudolf M. Rohrer.
• Book: Georgiev , Vladimir I. . Vladimir I. Georgiev

. Vladimir I. Georgiev. Trakite i technijat ezik/Les Thraces et leur langue (The Thracians and their language). 1977. Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata Akademija na naukite. Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgarian, French.

• Book: Price . Glanville . Encyclopedia of the languages of Europe . 1998 . Blackwell . Malden, Mass. . 0-631-22039-9 .
• Book: Du Nay , André . The early history of the Rumanian language. registration. 1977. 9780933104037.
• Duridanov, I. (1969): Die Thrakisch- und Dakisch-Baltischen Sprachbeziehungen
• Book: Fisher. Iancu. Les substrats et leur influence sur les langues romanes: la Romania du Sud-Est / Substrate und ihre Wirkung auf die romanischen Sprachen: Sudostromania in Romanische Sprachgeschichte. 2003. Mouton De Gruyter. 978-3110146943.
• Book: Fol. Alexander. Thracians, Celts, Illyrians and Dacians in History of Humanity: From Seventh Century B.C. to the Seventh Century A.D. 1996. Bernan Assoc.. 978-9231028120.
• Jones, A. H. M. (1964): The Later Roman Empire, 284-602
• Book: Kitson. Peter R.. Reconstruction, typology and the "original homeland" of the Indo-Europeans. Linguistic reconstruction and typology. Fisiak. Jacek. 183–239. 1996. Mouton De Gruyter. 978-3110149050.
• Lloshi, Xhevat (1999): Albanian in Handbuch der Südosteuropa Linguistik Band 10 (online)
• Mayer . H.E. . . . 1992 . Dacian and Thracian as southern Baltoidic. 38 . 2 . 0024-5089.
• Book: MacKendrick , Paul Lachlan . The Dacian Stones Speak. 1975. 60 - 61. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 0-8078-1226-9.
• Messing. Gordon M.. 'Thrakisch-dakische Studien, I: Die thrakisch- und dakisch-baltischen Sprachbeziehungen by Ivan Duridanov' reviewed by Gordon M. Messing Cornell University Edited by George Melville Bolling. Language. 1972. 48. 4. 960–963. Linguistic Society of America. 10.2307/412001. 412001.
• Book: Nandris. John. The Dacian Iron Age A Comment in a European Context in Festschrift für Richard Pittioni zum siebzigsten Geburtstag. Wien, Deuticke, Horn, Berger. 1976. 9783700544203.
• Olteanu. Sorin. Toponime procopiene. SCIVA. 2007. 58. 1–2. 67–116.
• Olteanu. Sorin. Kaga şi Kōgaionon. Datele problemei.. Thraco-Dacica. 1989. X. 215–217.
• Book: Paliga, Sorin . The social structure of the South-East European Societies in the Middle Ages. A Linguistic View . 1986 . Sorin Paliga . Linguistica . s 26–29.
• Book: Papazoglu. Fanula. The Central Balkan Tribes in Pre-Roman Times:Triballi, Autariatae, Dardanians, Scordisci, & Moesians, translated by Mary Stansfield-Popovic. 1978. John Benjamins North America, Incorporated. 9789025607937.
• Book: Parvan. Vasile. Dacia. 1928. The Cambridge University Press.
• Book: Parvulescu. Adrian. 'Black water' in the Thracian hidronymy Thracians and Mycenaeans: Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of Thracology Rotterdam, 24–26 September 1984. 1989. Brill Academic Pub. 978-9004088641.
• Book: Poghirc. Cicerone. "Considerations chrono-geographiques sur l'oscillation a/o en Thrace et en Daco-Mesien" published in Thracians and Mycenaeans: Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of Thracology Rotterdam, 24–26 September 1984. 1989. Brill Academic. 978-0819601230.
• Book: Polomé, Edgar Charles . Edgar Charles Polomé

. Edgar Charles Polomé. Cambridge Ancient History. III.1. Balkan Languages (Illyrian, Thracian and Daco-Moesian). 1982. 866–888.

• Book: Posner . Rebecca. Green . Trends in Romance Linguistics and Philology. 1981. Mouton De Gruyter . 978-9027978868.
• Rădulescu. Mircea-Mihai. The Indo-European position of Illyrian, Daco-Mysian and Thracian: A historica-methodological approach. 1987. Journal of Indo-European Studies. 0092-2323.
• Renfrew, Colin (1987): Archaeology and Language: the Puzzle of Indo-European Origins
• Russu. Ion Iosif. Les toponymes dans la péninsule des Balkans dans le "De aedificiis". Studii şi Cercetări Lingvistice. 1962. XIII. 393–403.
• Russu. Ion Iosif. Die Ortsnamen der Balkanhalbinsel in De Aedificiis. Revue de Linguistique. 1963. VIII. 123–132.
• Book: Russu, Ion Iosif . Limba traco-dacilor . 1967 . Editura Ştiinţifică . Bucharest.
• Book: Russu , Ion Iosif . Die Sprache der Thrako-Daker. 1969.
• Book: Solta , Georg Renatus . Berücksichtigung des Substrats und des Balkanlateinischen. 1980. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
• Book: Schütte. Gudmund. Ptolemy's maps of northern Europe: a reconstruction of the prototypes. 1917. H. Hagerup.
• Sluşanschi. Dan. Kaga şi Kōgaionon. Analiză filologică şi lingvistică.. Thraco-Dacica. 1989. X. 219–224.
• Book: Walde-Pokorny , Julius . The Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (IEW, "Indo-European Etymological Dictionary") and notes. 1959.
• Book: Walde. Alois. Pokorny. Julius. Vergleichendes Warterbuch Der Indogermanischen Sprachen. 1973. Walter de Gruyter. 978-3110045567.
• Thompson, E.A. (1982): Zosimus 6.10.2 and the Letters of Honorius in Classical Quarterly 33 (ii)

Further reading

• https://www.webcitation.org/5vSjj8iYr?url=http://soltdm.com/geo/arts/categs/categs.htm
• http://soltdm.com/sources/inscr/kaga/kaga_e.htm
• http://dnghu.org/indoeuropean.html Indo-European Etymological Dictionary – Indogermanisches Etymologisches Woerterbuch (JPokorny). A database that represents the updated text of J. Pokorny's "Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch", scanned and recognized by George Starostin (Moscow), who has also added the meanings. The database was further refurnished and corrected by A. Lubotsky.

External links

• Sorin Olteanu's Project: Linguae Thraco-Daco-Moesorum – Toponyms Section

Notes and References

1. Duridanov (1969) 90–5
2. Georgiev (1976) 276–8
3. Duridanov (1969) 12–13
4. Georgiev (1976) 277
5. Book: Ledesma, Manuel Sanz. El Albanés: gramática, historia, textos. Ediciones Clásicas. 1996. Instrumenta studiorum: Lenguas indoeuropeas. 9788478822089. es. 37–38. .
6. See and . Ἀξιό^πλ is assumed to be an abbreviation for Axiopolis in the manuscripts of De Aedificiis.
7. McKendrick (1965) 45
8. Web site: Lietuvių kalbos žodynas (Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian). lkz.lt. 2018-11-03.
9. Georgiev, Vladimir I.. "Thrakisch und Dakisch". Band 29/2. Teilband Sprache und Literatur (Sprachen und Schriften [Forts.]), edited by Wolfgang Haase, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 1983. p. 1180.
10. Source unless otherwise specified: Duridanov (1969) pp90-5
11. ISM I 68
12. Ptolemy III.8.4
13. Rav. 203.14
14. Proc. De Aed IV.4
15. Proc. De Aed. IV.11
16. Thracian according to, but Celtic according to, cf. Aldaniae, Aldaniacus mons.
17. It. Ant. 219.4; Tab. Peut. VII.5
18. CIL III. 13743
19. Rav. IV.14
20. Proc. De Aed. IV.11
21. Duridanov (1969) 91
22. Herod. IV.49
23. CIL III.8021
24. CIL III.917
25. CIL III.8064
26. Athanassakis. Apostolos N.. 2002. Akhilleus's Horse Balios: Old and New Etymologies. Glotta. 78. 1/4. 1–11. 40267134 . 0017-1298.
27. Rav. 204.3; Tab. Peut. VII.3
28. Prisc. Inst. VI.13
29. Tab. Peut. VIII.2
30. Proc. De Aed IV.4; Hes. 122.26
31. Jord. Get. 74
32. Thracian according to, but Celtic according to .
33. Olteanu (2007)
34. . Θωκύωδις βία in Proc. De Aed., IV.11,15
35. . *Θουκυσιδαντικη is one of the strategies of Thrace. Θουκυσιδαντικῆς on IGB IV 2338.
36. CIL III.835
37. CIL III.3888
38. CIL III.14507
39. Proc. De Aed. IV.4; Hes. 121, 17
40. Thracian according to, but Latin according to and, derived with suffix -iana.
41. Dio LI.26
42. Pokorny 478
43. Acta SS Nov. II.155 XIII Kal. ian.
44. Thracian according to, but Latin according to : Granditum [castellum].
45. Proc. De Aed. IV.4; H. 124, 9
46. Thracian according to, but Latin or Celtic according to : Gribus possibly derived from a Celtic *gravo = "sand".
47. Sluşanschi (1989)
48. . The word καγα occurs twice, in ISM II 36 and in ISM II 138, with the meaning sacrum.
49. Rav. 178, 3
50. Thracian according to, possibly derived from a Greek name, but Celtic according to .
51. Thracian according to, but Latin according to : the adjective medicus.
52. Thracian according to, but Latin according to : squama = "scale, metal plate".
53. Thracian according to, related to the Thracian tribe Σκόμβροι, and to the mountain name Σκόμβρος, but Latin according to : scomber = "mackerel".
54. Thracian according to, but Latin according to .
55. Duridanov 1969 93–5 unless otherwise stated