Cognate Set 7270 – Meaning: neck

IE-CoR reference form:
kñuk
IE-CoR reference language:
Tocharian A
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Proposed as cognate to:
*hnekkan- [Proto-Germanic] scale: 3
Justification:
Perhaps cognate with Proto-Germanic *hnekkan- 'neck', although there remains some uncertainty over formal aspects of the etymology (Hilmarsson 1996:162-163, cf. Kroonen 2013:234-235), van Windekens 1976:225-226).
Found in clades:
Tocharian
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 1 lexeme.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
3   Tocharian A kñuk kɲuk kɲuk
References
  • Carling, Gerd: 168
    [No etymology given.]
  • Hilmarsson, Jörundur: 162-163
    S.v. A kñuk 'neck'. Two early propsals to either OIc. knjúkr 'round mountain summit', MHG knock 'neck' < *gneugo- (van Windekens 1941: 42), or to IE *kneugo-, cf. OIc. hnjúkr 'rounded mountain summit' (Duchesne-Guillemin 1941: 157) are semantically satisfactory. Pedersen's (1944: 29) connection to OE hnekka- 'neck', OIc. hnakki 'id.' is semantically more satisfactory but there is no evidence in Germanic for a *-kw-. "This proposal might therefore be rejected as well. Instead the following might be considered. Assuming A kñuk, through *kñäkw, reflects CT *kñäkwæ, this word may go back to IE *knigʷʰo- 'neck (lit. 'the one that bows or bends')' to the root *kneigʷʰ- 'to bow', cf. Goth. hneiwan 'to bow', OHG hnīgan 'to bow, bend', OIcel. hníga 'to sink down', hneigja 'to bow' etc."
  • Kroonen, Guus: 234-235
    Cf. s.v. Proto-Germanic *hnekkan- ~ *hnakka(n)- 'neck'. "In view of the close formal and semantic similarities to To. kñuk, it seems possible to reconstruct a PIE n-stem *knék-ōn, gen. kn̥k-n-ós, acc. *knok-n-ń̥s (cf. Kroonen 2011:167ff.). The regular outcome of this paradigm, viz. *hnehō, *hunkkaz, *hnakkuns was apparently remodelled into *hnekkō, *knukkaz, *hnakkuns. […] [I]t is possible that G Hunke 'hillock' is a vestige of the original genitive form. It is therefore likely that OIr. cnoc, W cnwch m. 'hill' was borrowed from Germanic rather than the other way around."
  • van Windekens, A. J.: 225-226
    S.v. A kñuk 'cou, nuque' For this term we may connect either IE *gneug- with OIc. knjūkr 'cime d'une montagne', MHG knock 'nuque' or with IE *qnequ̯- with OE hnecca, OIc. hnakki 'nuque', or with IE *qneug- with OIc. hnūka 'se tenir accroupi, s'accroupir', Mod. Ic. knjūkr 'cime de montagne ronde', etc.For these three interpretations cf. Van Windekens, Orbis 11 (1962) 506. In any of these cases TochA kñuk may have a common etymon with Germanic.