1.0 The Body > 1.9 Reproductive System > 1.9.7 Penis

#641 PTB *ti-k PENIS
Reconstructed mesoroots below:

This etymon is well-attested in Karenic and apparently also in Lolo-Burmese (see note above under #1284 PTB *m‑ley ⪤ *m‑li PENIS), with scattered but good-looking cognates in the NE Indian Areal Group (Meithei), Himalayish, and Asakian (Jingpho-Asakian).

In Chart L (Sak-Luish Group) of Luce 1985, under the confusing gloss “Penis/Testicles”, two forms are given from Bawtala Sak, one from Dodem Sak, two from Ganan, and two from Kadu (Kantu). Where two forms are given from the same language, separated by a semicolon, I have assumed that the first one means ‘penis’ and the second one ‘testicles’, and have reglossed them accordingly. Under this interpretation, some syllables are assigned to the present root; while others, phonologically quite similar, are taken to mean ‘testicle’, and are assigned to #300 PTB *d(w)əy EGG / TESTICLE, above [q.v.].

Rather arbitrarily, I assign reflexes with stop initials to this root and those with fricated or palatalized initials to #1601 PTB *dzi PENIS.

Like the previous etymology #3420 PTB *k‑tu‑k PENIS, some reflexes of this root have a final ‑k.

The resemblance to English dick appears entirely accidental.

rnanalysislgidreflexglossgfnlanguagegrpidgrpnogrpgeneticcitationsrcabbrsrcidrn
106606411040tipenisMeithei131.4Meithei1Singh 91 MeiQCYS-Meithei10.3.10
164285641720ti¹penisKadu (Kantu)401.7.3.2Asakian1Luce 85GHL-PPBL.1490
451595p,6411964a◦kyípenisSak401.7.3.2Asakian1Huziwara 08 SakHK-Sak42-70
451596p,641,3011964a◦kyí◦tvutesticleSak401.7.3.2Asakian1Huziwara 08 SakHK-Sak42-80
164283p,6411354ă◦tji²penisSak (Bawtala)401.7.3.2Asakian1Luce 85GHL-PPBL.1490
311441p,6411355ă◦tji⁴penisSak (Dodem)401.7.3.2Asakian1Luce 85GHL-PPBL1490
128325641,s378tig◦patesticleBunan202.1.1Western Himalayish0Sharma, S.R. 91 BuSBN-BunQ10.3.50
118473641,m1568tʻig-lesemen virile; contemplationTibetan (Written)242.1.2.1Tibetan1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety 1
311439641,548893t'ik-ṅakglans penisLepcha212.1.3Lepcha1Mainwaring 98GBM-Lepcha1510
311438641,m893t'ik-uṅsperma genitale; semenLepcha212.1.3Lepcha1Mainwaring 98GBM-Lepcha1510
116121641894tʻikpenisLepcha212.1.3Lepcha1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety0
15882641,363958dæ³³ mɯ³³male pubic hairLolopho456.1.2Loloish1Dai 89 LoloDQ-Lolopho10.3.60
15881641,1019958dæ³³ sæ³¹testicleLolopho456.1.2Loloish1Dai 89 LoloDQ-Lolopho10.3.50
15883641,1013958dæ³³ vi³³semenLolopho456.1.2Loloish1Dai 89 LoloDQ-Lolopho10.3.70
15880641,385,1223958dæ³³ v̩⁵⁵ dɯ³³glans penisLolopho456.1.2Loloish1Dai 89 LoloDQ-Lolopho10.3.20
15879641,m958dæ³³ ʐo³¹penisLolopho456.1.2Loloish1Dai 89 LoloDQ-Lolopho10.3.10
292536641,301879de-futesticleLalo466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Björverud 94SB-Lalo0
9439641,1232878de³³ tɕʰy⁵⁵male pubic hairLalo466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.60
9438641,1019878de³³se²¹testicleLalo466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.50
296499641904dɛ³³penisLipho466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.10
296500641,301904dɛ³³fu³³testicleLipho466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.50
296502641,1013904dɛ³³vi³³semenLipho466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.70
9867641,3011164der²¹ fu²¹testicleNesu466.1.2.1Northern Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.50
171396411366dæ³³penisSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Wu 84WAH-Sani78.10
17140641,m,m,m1366dæ³³ ɬɑ³³ ṉˌ⁴⁴ mɑ³³testiclesSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Wu 84WAH-Sani78.20
3114316411223dɛ³³penisSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ0
132079641,m,m,m1379dɛ³³ɬɒ³³ni̱³³mɒ³³testiclesSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Wu 84YHJC-Sani0
16879641,m,m1365tæ³³ ɬɑ³³ mɑ³³penisSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Ma 89 SanQMXL-SaniQ314.50
16880641,m,m1365tæ³³ ɬɑ³³ n̩⁴⁴testiclesSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Ma 89 SanQMXL-SaniQ314.60
283969641,m,m1223tæ³³ɬɑ³³mɑ³³penisSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.10
283971641,m,m,3631223tæ³³ɬɑ³³mɑ³³no⁴⁴male pubic hairSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.60
283970641,m,m1223tæ³³ɬɑ³³n̩⁴⁴testicleSani [Nyi]476.1.2.2Central Loloish1Chen 86 YiCK-YiQ10.3.50
512521284,641344lɛ̀◦thɛpenisBisu486.1.2.3Southern Loloish1Beaudouin 88 BisuPB-Bisu150
5294966412038teᴮpenis*Karen507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
57554641123théqpenis*Karen (Pwo)507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310
5297506412039the²penis*Karen [Burling]507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
57558641125théʔpenis*Karen (Sgaw)507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310
164000641415cʻɪ²penisBwe (Western)507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
164001p,641588ă◦tʻi²penisGeba507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
5308456412043thi¹¹penisKayah507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
5305456412042thai¹¹penisKayan507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
5313946412045thi¹¹penisKayaw507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
1182476411238têpenisPa-O507Karenic1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety0
575536411242têpenisPa-O507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310
5302596412041te³³penisPa-O (Southern)507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
1640026411233te¹penisPa-O (Northern)507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
5299926412040te⁵⁵penisPa-O (Northern)507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
1639996411254tʻe³penisPaku507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
5323036412048thi³³penisPwo (Northern)507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
5325896412049thi⁵⁵penisPwo (Southern)507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
1639966411280tʻe¹penisPwo (Tenasserim)507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
1639976411273tʻe⁴penisPwo (Delta)507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
1182496411269thèpenisPwo (Bassein)507Karenic1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety0
575566411272thèpenisPwo (Bassein)507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310
1182486411275théʔpenisPwo (Moulmein)507Karenic1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety0
575556411279théʔpenisPwo (Moulmein)507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310
5317066412046the³¹˜penisSgaw (Northern)507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
5320106412047the⁴⁵’penisSgaw (Southern)507Karenic1Luangthongkum 13TL-PK2160
1639986411389tʻe⁴penisSgaw507Karenic1Luce 85GHL-PPBJ.2200
1182526411393thèpenisSgaw (Bassein)507Karenic1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety0
575606411394thèpenisSgaw (Bassein)507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310
14928641746tʰe³¹penisKaren (Sgaw/Hinthada)507Karenic1Dai 89 KarBDQ-KarenB1440
1182516411397théʔpenisSgaw (Moulmein)507Karenic1Matisoff 87 BPJAM-Ety0
575596411399théʔpenisSgaw (Moulmein)507Karenic1Jones 61RBJ-KLS5310

^ 1.
This curious form receives four glosses in Jäschke, p. 231: (1) ‘spot (as on a leopard)’; (2) ‘zero, naught’; (3) ‘semen virile’; (4) ‘contemplation’. Jäschke remarks that the last two senses are “mystically connected with each other” in Buddhist thought. (The sense of ‘naught’ seems like a recent extension of ‘spot’, since a small zero looks like a dot.) On a priori semantic grounds, another WT word, t'igs‑pa ‘drop (of liquid)’ also looks like it might be related; but in other Himalayish languages similar forms have no liquid associations, e.g. Bunan tig‑pa ‘testicle’ and Lepcha t'ik ‘penis’. It looks as if ‘spot/zero’ and ‘semen/contemplation’ are mere homophones.