Cognate Set 126 – Meaning: snow

IE-CoR reference form:
*u̯ap-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Indo-Iranic
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
Lexemes continuing Proto-Iranic *u̯afra- 'snow', derivatives of an Indo-Iranic root *u̯ap- 'to disperse, scatter' to which there are no certain connections outside of Indo-Iranic (Cheung 2007:418-419,Bailey 1979:305-306, EWAia II:503-505, KEWA III:145).
Found in clades:
Iranic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 19 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
67   Persian: Tehran barf برف bærf bærf
46   Avestan: Younger vafra 𐬬𐬀𐬟𐬭𐬀 u̯afra
49   Khotanese baura bɔːɾɐ boːra examples in Bailey (1979: 305f.) suggest a NOM.SG.f, however this word is originally masculine, so it might be a plurale tantum in Khotanese
66   Middle Persian wafr wpr ɡʷafɾ wafr ZP wpl
56   Kurdish N.: Bahdini befr bæɾf bæfr
55   Parthian wafr wfr wafr wafr
53   Yaghnobi wáfir ˈβ̞afɪ̆r also wafr
50   Pashto wawra واوره ˈwaʋ.ra wawra
68   Bakhtiari barf baɾf barf
61   Raji: Barzoki ʋạfre va̠ˁfɾe ʋa̠ˁfɾe
69   Delvari bærf bærf
70   Lari vafr vafr
62   Tati vāre vare
57   Kurdish C.: Jafi bawr, bafr bæwr, bæfr
58   Kurdish S.: Elami wafır wafɘ̟ɾ Final syllable with the vowel ı is unstressed here, cf. ‘fire’, where it is stressed. Some other speakers say wafr.
60   Hawrami warwa wærwæ
47   Khwarazmian wafrik wfrk u̯afrik
48   Sogdian wafra wfrʾ u̯afra reconstructed from M wfrʾ
59   Kurdish S.: Qorveh bafr bæfr
References
  • Bailey, Harold Walter: 305-306
    S.v. Khot. baura 'snow', from PIr. vafrā- to base *vap- 'throw up, heap up' (cf. Av. vafra-, Zor.P. vafr, NPers. barf, barfēn, Sogd. (Bud.) wβrh, M.Pers.T. wpr wdzyd 'snow melts', Pašto wāwra, Orm. yōṣ̌r, yōṣ̌, Parāčī γarp. Yidγa warfo, Waxī warf), to IEW 1149 *u̯ep- (Ved. vápati 'scatters (seed)', vápra- 'earth mound').
  • Cheung, Johnny: 418-419
    Cf. s.v. Proto-Iranic *u̯ap- (1) 'to disperse, scatter' (cf. Skt. √vap- (1) 'to scatter, strew (out), spread (out)'). "The root is apparently IIr.: an IE provenance cannot be ascertained."
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred: II:503-505
    Cf. s.v. Ved. vaprā- 'Feuerstätte', vafra- 'Erdaufwurf, Wall', derived from Ved. √vap-¹ 'streuen, ausstreuen' (further connections unclear). Ved. vapra- is formally comparable to Ir. *u̯afrā̆- 'Schnee' (cf. YAv. vafra-, Khot. borā-, MPers. wafr, NP barf).
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred: III:145
    S.v. Skt. vápraḥ 'Aufwurf von Erde, Erdwall / mound, earth raised as a wall'. Iranian forms in the meaning 'snow' from *vap-ra- are comparable. [Cf. entry in KEWA for further references].
  • Pokorny, Julius: 1149
    Cf. s.v. *u̯ep- : u̯ō̆p- : up- ‚Wasser‘.