Cognate Set 172 – Meaning: worm

IE-CoR reference form:
*kʷr̥mi-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Indo-European
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Proposed as cognate to:
*u̯r̥mi- [Proto-Indo-European] scale: 2
Justification:
Two variants *kʷr̥mi- and *u̯r̥mi- in the same meaning 'worm' are generally reconstructed for PIE. The variant *u̯r̥mi- attested in Germanic and Italic might have been secondary from *kʷr̥mi- (cf. {de Vaan 2008}:665), but it may also be possible that the two lexemes were a rhyming pair already in Indo-European poetic language (cf. Watkins 1987:288). Cf. also Demiraj 1997:225-226, Orel 1998:197, EWAia I:394-395, ALEW 493-494, Derksen 2015:246, ESSJa 4:171-172 Derksen 200893-94, Matasović 2009:181-182.
Found in clades:
Albanian, Balto-Slavic, Celtic, Indo-Iranic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 4 clades by 54 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
16   Albanian: Gheg krym(b)
32   Kashmiri kyom کیوم com kjom
67   Persian: Tehran kerm كرم kʲerm kerm
74   Lithuanian kirmėlė̃ kʲɪrʲmʲeːˈlʲeː kʲɪrʲmʲeːˈlʲeː
158   Gaelic: Scottish cnuimh krɯ̃ĩv
157   Old Irish cruim ˈkˠʰr̥ˠʊṽʲ ˈkruṽʲ
17   Albanian: Standard krimb
20   Pali kimi kɪmɪ kimi
154   Middle Breton preff, pref, preu ˈpreːṽ
66   Middle Persian kirm klm kɪɾm kirm ZMP
54   Kurdish N.: Bahdini k'ɨrɨm kɨrɨm
51   Yaghnobi kirm
156   Breton: Treger preñv ˈprẽːf ˈprẽːv̤
155   Breton: Gwened preñv pɾɛ̃ːɥ
75   Old Prussian girmis
150   Welsh: North pry genwair prɨː ˈɡɛnwa(i)r prɨː ˈɡenwa(i)r
149   Middle Welsh pryf prɨv
19   Vedic: Early kŕ̥miḥ कृमिः kɾmis ˈkɾmih
71   Kumzari kurm kʊɻm kʊɻm
60   Tati kelme kelme
46   Sogdian kirmi qyrmy ki˞mi rhotacised vowel
68   Bakhtiari kerm ceɾm kerm
69   Delvari kerm kerm
70   Lari kerm kerm
62   Balochi: Sistani kerm kerm
55   Kurdish C.: Jafi kırm kɨrm
18   Albanian: Arbëresh krimp ˈkɾimp
45   Khwarazmian kirm krm kirm
56   Kurdish S.: Elami kırm kɘ̟ɾm
58   Hawrami kirm kɨrm
76   Old Church Slavonic črĭvĭ чрьвь tʃr̩ʲʋɪ̆ tʃr̩ʲvɪ
77   Bulgarian červej червей ˈtʃɛɾvɘj ˈtʃervej
78   Macedonian crv црв tsəɾf tsrv
79   Macedonian: Suho čèrv′ḁ ˈtʃeɾvʲɐ ˈtʃervæ
80   Macedonian: Visoka čèrv′ḁ ˈtʃe̞ɾβʲɐ ˈtʃervæ
81   Serbo-Croat crv tsə̂ɾv tsr̂ːv
82   Slovene: Early Modern zherv
83   Slovene črv tʃə́ɾw tʃə́rv
84   Slovene: Kostel črv tʃɾ̩f tʃrv
95   Russian červâk червяк tʃɪɾˈvʲɑ̈k tʃerˈvʲak
96   Belarusian čarvâk чарвяк tʂɑ̈ɾvʲɑk tʂervʲak
97   Ukrainian červâk черв’як tʂɛ̽ɾˈvʲjɑ̈k tʂerˈvjak An alternative lexeme is 'робак' (it seems to be less used).
98   Rusyn červák tʂɛɾˈ(v/β)ɑ̈k tʂerˈvak The lexeme 'ɣlɪstá' means 'earthworm'.
85   Old Polish czerw, czyrw, czyrzw tʂɛrvʲ/fʲ, tʂɨrvʲ/fʲ, tʂɨr̝ʲvʲ, tʂɨr̝̊ʲfʲ tʂervʲ, tʂirvʲ, tʂir̝vʲ '(Ch)robak' is more general, it refers to all small and crawling animals (e.g. snakes), although mostly it is used for insects and their catterpillars.
89   Slovak červ tʃɛrw tʃerv
90   Old Czech črv tʃɛrβʲ tʃervʲ
91   Czech červ tʃɛɾf tʃerv
92   Sorbian: Upper čerw ˈtʃɛʀ ˈtʃɛʀwj
93   Sorbian: Lower cerw tsɛɾ tserwj
37   Pashai: North-West kaṛaawak کړاوک kəɽɑˑˈʋak kaɽaːwak
34   Gawri ɬim ݪِم ɬim̥ ɬim H?
151   Middle Cornish pryf, pref priːv, preːv
152   Late Cornish prêv preːv
57   Kurdish S.: Qorveh kɨrɨm kɨrɨm
References
  • Demiraj, Bardhyl: 225-226
    S.v. Alb. krimb, -i 'Wurm, Raupe, Made', the inherited word for 'Wurm', with Ved. kŕ̥mi- 'Wurm, Made', Lith. kirmìs 'Made' and formally identical with PIE *kʷr̥mi-.
  • Derksen, Rick: 246
    S.v. Lith. kirmìs 'worm, maggot, snake' (Latv. cirmis 'worm, maggot, snake, caterpillar', OPr. girmis 'maggot'), from PIE *kʷr-m-i- (cf. OCS črъvь 'worm', Skt. kŕ̥mi- 'worm, maggot', OIr. cruim 'worm', W. pryf 'id.').
  • Derksen, Rick: 93-94
    S.v. Proto-Slavic *čьrvь 'worm, maggot' (ESSJa IV 171-172), from Balto-Slavic *kir-m/w-i- (cf. Lith. kirmìs 'worm, maggot, snake', Latv. cirmis 'worm, maggot, caterpillar', OPr. girmis 'maggot'), from PIE *kʷr-m-i- (cf. Skt. kŕ̥mi- 'worm, maggot', OIr. cruim 'worm', W pryf 'worm'). Note the Balto-Slavic vocalisation *ir (instead of *ur) after an original labiovelar is unexpected.
  • Hock, Wolfgang and Fecht, Rainer and Feulner, Anna Helene and Hill, Eugen and Wodtko, Dagmar S.: 493-494
    S.v. OLith. kirmìs 'Wurm' (BSl. Latv. cirmis 'Wurm, Made, Raupe' OPr. ? girmis 'Made', OCS črьvь 'Wurm', etc.), from PIE *kʷr̥-mi- 'Wurm, Made', Ved. kŕ̥mi- 'Wurm, Made', NPers. kirm 'Wurm', Alb. krimb 'Wurm, Raupe, Made', OIr. Cruim 'Wurm, Made; Drache', MW pryf 'Insekt, Larve, Made, Wurm; Schlange', etc.).
  • Matasović, Ranko: 181-182
    S.v. Proto-Celtic *kʷrimi- 'worm', from PIE *kʷrmi- 'worm' (IEW 1152), cf. Skt. kŕ̥mi-, Alb. krimb, Lith. kirmìs, Sloven. črm.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred: I:394-395
    S.v. Ved. kŕ̥mi- 'Wurm, Made' (IIr. cf. Manichaean Sogd. kyrm- 'Schlange', MPers. klm (kirm) 'Wurm, Drache, Schlange', NPers. kirm 'Wurm, Schlange'), from PIE *kʷr̥mi- (cf. OIr. cruim, W., Bret. pryf 'Wurm', Lith. kirmìs 'Wurm, Schlange', Sloven. čr̂m 'Fingerwurm, Karbunkel', etc.). Beside *kʷr̥mi- exists "a rhyme formation in Indo-European probably for reason of tabu" *u̯r̥mi- (NHG Wurm, cf. Lat. vermis), (so Watkins 1987:288).
  • Orel, Vladimir: 197
    S.v. Alb. krimb ~ krym 'worm', reflecting PAlb. *krim- and to be connected with IE *kʷr̥mi- 'id.' (cf. Skt. kŕ̥mi-, Lith. kìrmis etc.).
  • Pokorny, Julius: 649
    Cf. s.v. *kʷr̥mi- ‚Wurm, Made‘
  • Trubačev, O. N.: IV:171-172
    S.v. Proto-Slavic *čьrvь, very close to *čьrmь in the same meaning as attested in PSl. *čьrmelь, *čьrmъ, *čьrmьnъ. IE correspondence can be given for *čьrmь, but *čьrvь is less convincing. Possibly formed to the same element with different *-m-/*-v- formants. Alternatively perhaps the form in *-v arose under influence from other lexemes.
  • Watkins, Calvert: 288
    "[T]he word for 'worm, serpent, dragon' [in Germanic] is Old English wyrm, Old Norse ormr, Old Saxon and Old High German wurm, Gothic waurms: Germanic *wurmiz exactly cognate with Latin vermis, and presupposing Indo-European *u̯r̥mis. The word is a rhyme formation in Indo-European to *kʷr̥mis, probably for reason of tabu; kʷr̥mis is found in Celtic, Balto-Slavic, Albanian and Indo-Iranian. The usual meaning of *kʷr̥mis is just 'worm' in most traditions, but in Middle Iranian it is also the word for 'dragon'; compare the Pahlavi version of the familiar Indo-European formula: kirm ōzat 'slew the dragon' (Kārnāmak IX). There can be no doubt that in *u̯r̥mis/*kʷr̥mis we have two variants of the same designation of the Indo-European mythological serpent-adversary."
  • de Vaan, Michiel: 665
    Cf. s.v. Lat. vermis 'worm, maggot', from PIE *u̯r̥mi- 'snake, worm' (cf. Goth. waurms 'snake', OIc. ormr, OEng. wyrm, OFr. wirm 'snake', OS wormo, OHG wurm, 'worm' < PGmc. *wurma/i-). Cf. the PIE doublet *kʷrmi- 'worm, maggot', possibly secondarily from PIE *kʷrmi- > *wrmi- in Lat. and Germanic.