1.0 The Body > 1.9 Reproductive System > 1.9.1 Egg

This root is attested in Kamarupan, Nungish, and perhaps Qiangic, as well as in Himalayish (Hayu, Tshona). The proto-initial seems to have been *r‑, though some reflexes have l‑. It is possible that there is a connection with *s‑lum or *z‑lum ‘round’ (STC #143).

#3438 *rum ⪤ *lum EGG
rnanalysislgidreflexglossgfnlanguagegrpidgrpnogrpgeneticcitationsrcabbrsrcidrn
188680m,34381431mə³³ri³³eggSulung41.1"North Assam"0Sun H 91 ZMYYZMYYC170.520
171924p,1606,3438790a◦roi◦ghumeggKhoirao641.3.4Zeme Group1Marrison 67 NagaGEM-CNL0
10681m,34381040mə◦rumegg (of animal)Meithei131.4Meithei1Singh 91 MeiQCYS-Meithei10.4.16 1
171947m,34381041ye◦rumeggMeithei131.4Meithei1Marrison 67 NagaGEM-CNL0
395131110,34381093kʰɑ⁵⁵ lum⁵⁵eggTshona (Wenlang)222.1.2Bodic1Lu 86 CuoMJZ-CNMenba0
1886571110,34381092khAʔ⁵³lum⁵³eggTshona (Mama)222.1.2Bodic1Sun H 91 ZMYYZMYYC170.60
419741110,34381090kʰᴀʔ⁵³ lum⁵³eggTshona (Mama)222.1.2Bodic1Sun H 80 MLDSLZO-MLD0
1213433438641rumbrood (of a hen)vrHayu302.3.2.2Western Kiranti1Michailovsky 89 H2BM-Hay84.1130
129992m,34381146ɦɛ̱⁵⁵ɣo⁵⁵egg (of animal)Namuyi343.2Qiangic0Sun H 91 NamQSHK-NamuQ10.4.160
1886381600,34381147ɦɛ̱⁵⁵ɣo⁵⁵eggNamuyi343.2Qiangic0Sun H 91 ZMYYZMYYC170.19 2
1310141606,34381408rɛ³³ ʁo³⁵eggXumi343.2Qiangic0Sun H 91 ShiQSHK-ShixQ0
1886641606,34381409rɛ³³ʁo³⁵eggXumi343.2Qiangic0Sun H 91 ZMYYZMYYC170.200
127426p,34381612a²¹le⁵⁵egg (of animal)Tujia415Tujia1Chen 86 TuMQCK-TujMQ10.4.160
1886763438269lim⁵⁵eggAnong389Nungic1Sun H 91 ZMYYZMYYC170.440
1886771110,3438537kɑ⁵⁵lɯ̆m⁵³eggTrung [Dulong]389Nungic1Sun H 91 ZMYYZMYYC170.460
400031110,3438538kɑ⁵⁵ lɯ̆m⁵³eggTrung [Dulong] (Dulonghe)389Nungic1Sun H 82 DulJZ-Dulong0
402091110,3438540kʰɑ³¹ lɯ̆m⁵³eggTrung [Dulong] (Nujiang)389Nungic1Sun H 82 DulJZ-Dulong0
1693153438481lwɑ̂n/|luɑ̂n:eggChinese (Old/Mid)5210Sinitic1Karlgren 57 GSRGSR179a0
2952683438471C-|ronʔeggChinese (Old)5310.0.1Old Chinese0Baxter 92WHB-OC9490
2948953438471g-|ronʔeggChinese (Old)5310.0.1Old Chinese0Baxter 92WHB-OC5570
16981134381007luɑ̌neggChinese (Mandarin)5510.0.3Modern Chinese0Karlgren 57 GSRGSR179a0

Chinese comparandum

卵 luǎn ‘egg; testicle’

GSR: 179a Karlgren: *lwân Li: *luanx Baxter: *g‑ronʔ (557)

In Baxter’s system, MC l‑ is always derived from OC *C‑r‑, that is, an initial r with a prefixed consonant (to be distinguished from *Cr‑ in which r functions as a medial). In other systems, MC l‑ may descend from simple initial *r‑. Baxter gives two separate reconstructions for this word: *g‑ronʔ (set 557) and *C‑ronʔ (set 949, with C unspecified). There is some reason to suppose that if the prefix *C‑ is to be reconstructed it would be a velar (Baxter 1992:387).

The correspondence between PTB *r‑ and Middle Chinese l‑ is well-attested. Although both the Chinese and PTB forms have a rounded vowel and a nasal final, the correspondences are problematic. No generally accepted OC/PTB cognates show an *‑n/*‑m correspondence. OC *ua (Li) / *o (Baxter) generally corresponds to PTB *o, not *u. (For example, ‘remove’, OC 脫 *hluat (Li), PTB *hlot.) We would expect PTB rhyme *‑um to correspond to OC *‑əm (Li) (see examples in Gong 1995).

Gong 1995 (set 41) compares Chinese 卵, which he reconstructs *ruanx, with Written Tibetan sro‑ma ‘nit’ (see #1172 *s‑row EGG / NIT, below), following Benedict 1976:190. Schuessler 2007:369 makes the same comparison, citing PTB *(s‑)rwa rather than *s‑row. For this comparison to hold, a nominalizing *‑n suffix must be posited for the Chinese form (Schuessler 2007:74-75).
[ZJH]


^ 1.
Note that the Sulong form has the same mə‑ prefix as in Meithei.
^ 2.
We are provisionally assigning the second syllable of the Namuyi and Shixing forms to this etymon, but the second syllables of Pumi ʐɑ¹¹qu⁵⁵, rɐ³⁵ ku⁵⁵ to #305 *s/r‑go‑ŋ EGG / TESTICLE, below. The first syllables of all these compounds mean ‘fowl’, from #1606 *k‑rak FOWL / CHICKEN.