Cognate Set 2063 – Meaning: red

IE-CoR reference form:
*kʷer-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Indo-European
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
I find the etymology presented in ESSJa as to the underlying PIE root *kʷer- and its original meaning 'make, do, create' (probably derived from a more primitive meaning 'cut', see LIV²) convincing.
However, I think that the proposed order of the semantic development is unconvincing and that the reconstructed connotation of the *kresati with 'life' is unnecessary. Words referring to the look of humans and animals are very often derived from verbs meaning 'make, create, form, give birth', cf. PS *tvoriti 'make, create', Polish tworzyć 'make, create' and Polish twarz 'face' > twarzowy 'about a clothing a person looks pretty in' (cf. also Polish potwór 'monster' > potworny 'horrible, ugly'), PS ličiti 'to form, to shape' (< PIE *lei̯H- 'pour', also originally 'formed by casting', cf. cognate set 1223) and PS *lico 'face', Polish śliczny 'beautiful', Macedonian ličen 'pretty' or PS *roditi 'give birth', Polish rodzić 'give birth' and Polish uroda 'look, beauty' (cf. also Russian urod 'monster, ugly person' > urodlivyj 'ugly'). We can assume a similar development in PIE *kʷer- > PS *krasa. The meaning 'red' in Russian is a later development from 'beautiful' and not the opposite way. It is limited to Russian, where the meaning 'red' is attested much later (11th century vs. 15th century) than 'beautiful' Černyh 1999: 1: 440.
Found in clades:
Slavic
Revised by:
Lechosław Jocz
Found in 1 clade by 1 lexeme.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
97   Russian krasnyj красный ˈkɾɑ̈snɘj ˈkrasnij
References
  • Boryś, W.: 256
    PS *krasa 'colour of fire, red(ness), brightness, beauty, brilliance, adornment' is related to Lithuanian kárštas 'hot' and derived from PIE *ker- or *kʷer- 'burn'.
  • Derksen, Rick: 246
    Proto-Slavic *krasnьnъ (adj.) 'beautiful'. Etymology unclear.
  • Rejzek, Jiří: 310
    PS *krasa. The original meaning was probably 'glare, red(ness), colour of fire'. Then it can be linked to PS *kresati. The latter has no entirely clear etymology. If related to *krasa and *krěsiti, the original meaning was 'make fire' and the maning 'hit' is secondary. Then it is derived from PIE *ker-s- < *ker- 'burn' (cf. Lithuanian kárštas 'hot'). If the meaning 'hit' is primary, then it is derived from PIE *(s)ker- 'cut'. PS *krěsiti 'ressurect' < 'set in someone the fire of life'.<br> A relationship to Latin crassus 'fat' or Lithuanian grõžis 'beauty' is less probable.
  • Rix, Helmut: 391-392
    S.v. *kʷer- 'cut off, carve'.
  • Trubačev, O. N.: 12: 95-97, 124-126, 140
    PS *krasa shows formal features of an ancient derivative from an e-grade verbal root. It is related to *kresati which is derived from PIE *kē̆r-s- 'create, make', cf. Latin creō 'create, produce' and crēscō 'grow'.<br> Meanings of *kresati referring to fire ('making fire'!) developed in phrases like *kresati *ognĭ 'create fire', cf. Lihuanian kùrti 'make, do' and secondarily 'make fire' that developed in the phrase ugnį kùrti 'make fire'.<br> The verb *kresati had a connotation 'create (a living being)' (note that the fire was considered as a living being in the ancient time; the verb *kresati was also just the right for the phrase *kresati *ognĭ). This connotation was realized derivative *krasa which orignally referred to the semantic field of 'life, colours of life' etc. with a later development into 'red colour, blush, flower' > 'beauty'.<br> Cf. related lexemes *krěsiti (with meanings 'resurrect, inspirit, revive, bring to life' and also 'make fire, spark, start fire with flint' in Slavic languages and dialects) and *krěsŭ (referring to 'ceremonial, ritual fire', 'solstice, solstice rituals', 'hot weather' in Slavic languages and dialects). Porównania do Lit grożis, karśtas, Staroisl hrós nieprawidłowe
  • Vasmer, Max: 2: 367-368
    Russian krasa 'beauty', krasivyj 'beautiful' etc. are probably related to Old Icelandic hrósa 'display', Icelandic hrós 'glory', further Old Icelandic hróðr 'glory', Gothic hrōþeigs 'victorious' and Old High German hruom 'glory'. A relationship to Lithuanian krósnis 'oven' and Latin corpus 'body', Old Incdic kr̥p̩- 'shape, beauty' is less likely. It can not be related to krutit' ['curl, spin']. It has been also linked to Lithuanian grõžis 'beauty' (an irregular correspondence *k- / *g- is assumed here).