Cognate Set 2786 – Meaning: knee

IE-CoR reference form:
*k(e/o)l-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Balto-Slavic
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Justification:
As Derksen 2008: 228-229 points out, there are two candidates for the root etymology: PIE *kelH 'rise, rise above' LIV²: 349 and *kʷelh₁- 'turn, rotate' LIV²: 386-388 (reconstructed as *kʷel(H) by Derksen). From the formal, phonetic point of view there can not be any clue in Slavic. Moreover, the proximity of two proto-meanings (having the concept of movement in common) makes it in my opinion impossible to raise any convincing semantic arguments even in external comparisons with other IE forms. Cf. ESSJa: 10: 133. Therefore, any strict decision would be speculative.
Authors of the Slavic etymology rather tend to see *kʷel(H) here, see Boryś 2005: 243 or Snoj 1997-2016.
Found in clades:
Baltic, Slavic
Revised by:
Lechosław Jocz
Found in 2 clades by 26 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
76   Lithuanian kẽlis ˈkæːlʲɪs ˈkæːlʲɪs
74   Latvian celis ˈtsɛlis tsɛlis
78   Old Church Slavonic kolěno колѣно kɔlænɔ kolæno
97   Russian koleno колено kɐlʲɛˈnɐ kalʲeˈno
88   Polish kolano kɔˈlɑ̈nɔ koˈlano
93   Czech koleno ˈkɔlɛnɔ ˈkoleno
99   Ukrainian kolìno коліно koˈlʲinɔ koˈlʲino
98   Belarusian kalena калена kɑ̈ˈlʲɛnɑ̈ kaˈlʲeno
94   Sorbian: Upper koleno ˈkɔlɛnɔ ˈkɔlɛnɔ
95   Sorbian: Lower kóleno ˈkɛlʲɛnɔ, ˈkɘ̟lʲɛnɔ ˈkoleno
91   Slovak koleno ˈkɔlɛnɔ ˈkoleno
85   Slovene koleno kɔˈlèːnɔ kɔˈlèːnɔ
83   Serbo-Croat koleno kɔ̌ɫjɛnɔ kǒljeno Ekavian variant: 'koleno' /kǒleno/ [kɔ̌ɫɛnɔ].
80   Macedonian koleno колено ˈko̞lɛnɔ ˈkoleno
79   Bulgarian kolâno коляно kuˈlʲɑ̈nu koˈljano
90   Polabian ťüľon, ťüľăn cyˈʎɔn, ˈcyʎɜn cyˈʎon, ˈcyʎɜn
89   Kashubian kòlano ˈkwɛlɒnɔ ˈkolano
75   Latgalian ceļs tsʲælʲsʲ tsʲelʲsʲ
87   Old Polish kolano ˈkɔla̠nɔ ˈkolano
92   Old Czech koleno ˈkɔlɛnɔ ˈkoljeno
100   Rusyn kọl′íno koˈlʲinɔ koˈlʲino
81   Macedonian: Suho kul′ànu kuˈlʲɑ̈nu kuˈljano
82   Macedonian: Visoka kul′ànu kuˈlʲɑ̈nu kuˈljano
96   Old Novgorod kolěno колѣно kɔˈlʲenɔ kɔˈlʲenɔ The word 'колѣно' 'kolěno' is attested once in the corpus but its textual meaning is 'river turn'. It could be accepted as a attestation of a special meaning of the Slavic word for 'knee'. However, the gloss is uncertain, there are other possible hypotheses.
86   Slovene: Kostel koleno ko̝ˈle̞ːno̝ ko̝ˈleːno̝
84   Slovene: Early Modern kolénu
References
  • Boryś, W.: 243
    PS *kolěno is related to Lithuanian kelỹs, Latvian celis 'knee', Greek κῶλον 'joint', Latin collum 'neck', German Hals 'neck' etc. All these words are derived from PIE *kʷel- 'turn, twist'. The etymological meaning is 'movable, bending part of the body'.
  • Derksen, Rick: 228-229
    S.v. Proto-Slavic *kolěno 'knee' (ESSJa X 132-134). From the Baltic forms from Lith. kẽlis ‘knee’; Latv. celis ‘knee’ (lacking the suffix found in Slavic) we can reconstruct a basic Proto-Balto-Slavic root *kel-/kol-. There are two possible PIE etymologies to this, either (1) *kʷelH- 'turn, rotate' (cf. LIV² 386-388) or (2) *kelH- 'rise, raise, lift' (cf. LIV² 349), of these Derksen prefers the latter on semantic grounds. The proposed connection with Gk. κῶλον 'limb', which cannot reflect an original labiovelar, is not secure enough to serve as the basis of a formal argument.
  • Derksen, Rick: 235
    Cf. s.v. Lith. kelė́nas 'knee, knee-bone, knee-cap', with the same etymology as in Derksen (2008:228-229).
  • Hock, Wolfgang and Fecht, Rainer and Feulner, Anna Helene and Hill, Eugen and Wodtko, Dagmar S.: 474-475
    S.v. OLith. kẽlis (II) (2), kelỹs (4) 'Knie; Knoten; Glied; Stamm; Generation' (BSl. Latv. celis 'Knie', etc.), probably not to be separated from OCS kolěno, SCr. kòljeno, Ru. koléno, Cz. komeno 'Knie, Nachkommenschaft, Generation' (cf. ESSJa 10:132-4, EDSL 228f.). The root relationship is probably also to SCr. člȃn 'Gelenk, Glied', Cz. člen 'Mitglied', Pol. człon 'Glied (einer Kette, eines Rohres)'. Possibly further to Gk. κῶλον 'Körperteil, Glied; Bein; Abschnitt (im Text)', but the morphological relationship of these nouns to each other remain unclear.
  • Trubačev, O. N.: 10: 132-134
    PS *kolěno is doubtless related to Lithuanian kelỹs, Latvian celis 'knee', Greek κῶλον 'limb' and κωλήν 'thighbone'.<br> A strict semantic and formal discrimination between reflexes of PIE *kel- 'rise, lift' and PIE *kʷel- 'turn (round), spin' is problematic even in languages that make a distinction between PIE *k and *kʷ.