Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/nu

This Proto-Indo-European entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-European

Alternative reconstructions

*nu(H)^[1]

Adverb

*nu^[2]

now
well (as an interjection)
and

Reconstruction notes

Many daughter languages have a long variant; different explanations have been given for this:

Lengthening under stress, either already in PIE (of *nú to *nū́), or in the individual languages.^[3]
The long variant, in the form of *nuH, was the original one, and the laryngeal was lost in utterance-final position.^[1]
Or the long form was *nú-h₁, with an added (pleonastic) adverbial ending *-h₁.^[2]

Derived terms

*nú(h₁)-m^[2]
- Proto-Hellenic:
  - Ancient Greek: νυν (nun), νῦν (nûn)
- Proto-Italic: *num^[3]
  - Latin: num (“now”), nunc (< *num + -ce)
- Phrygian: nun
*nu-nó- ~ *nū-nó-^[4] or *nuh₁-ná^[2]
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *nūnái, *nunái^[5]^[6]
  - Lithuanian: nū̃n (“now, today”), nūnai̇̃ (“now, today, nowadays”)
  - Proto-Slavic: *nyně, *nъně (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *nūnám
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *nūnám
    - Sanskrit: नूनम् (nūnám)
  - Proto-Iranian: *nūnám^[7]
    - Baluchi: نون (nún), نین (nín)
    - Pashto: نن (nən, “today”)
    - Middle Persian: [script needed] (nūn)
      - Persian: نون (nun)
  - Proto-Iranian: *nūrám^[7] (with dissimilation and/or influenced by *Haparam (“later”)^[4])
    - Avestan:
      Old Avestan: 𐬥𐬏𐬭𐬇𐬨 (nūrə̄m)
      
      Younger Avestan: 𐬥𐬏𐬭𐬆𐬨 (nūrəm), 𐬥𐬏𐬭𐬄𐬨 (nūrąm)
    - Ossetian: nyr, nur
    - Old Persian: 𐎵𐎢𐎼𐎶 (nu-u-r-m)
    - Sogdian: [script needed] (nwr)
  - Proto-Nuristani: *nūná
    - Southern Nuristani: *yéə-nū̃ə (“today”) (< *i-eká nūná)
      - Ashkun: yanū̃́
      - Waigali: önũ
- ⇒ Proto-Tocharian: *nunọ́ (“again, once more”)^[8] (+ *-em?^[2])
  - Tocharian A: nuṃ
  - Tocharian B: nano, näno
*néw-o-s (“new”) (vṛddhi derivation)

Descendants

Proto-Albanian: *nu^[9]
- Albanian: nu (“when”), tani (“now”), ani (“later”)
Proto-Albanian:
- Albanian: -ni (ending of 2pl. imperative)^[2]
Proto-Anatolian: *nu^[10]
- Hittite: 𒉡 (nu, “now, and”)
- Luwian:
  Cuneiform script: 𒈾𒀀𒉡𒌦 (na-a-nu-un /⁠nānun⁠/, “now”)
  
  Anatolian hieroglyphic script: [Anatolian hieroglyphic needed] (awa-); [script needed] (unu), [script needed] (unun)}
- Palaic: 𒉡 (nu, clause conjunctive particle), 𒉡𒌑 (nu-ú /⁠nū⁠/, “now”)
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *nu^[11]
- Latgalian: niu, niule, niulen (“now”)
- Lithuanian: nū, nù (“now”)
- Proto-Slavic: *nъ (“but”) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Slavic: *nu (“well, fine then”) (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Celtic: *nu
- Old Irish: nu (archaic adverb), no- (dummy preverb for simple verbs)
- Gaulish: nu (attested in the Lezoux plate)
Proto-Germanic: *nu (“now”)^[12] (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Hellenic: *nu, *nū
- Ancient Greek: νυ (nu)
Proto-Indo-Iranian: *nú, *nū́
- Proto-Indo-Aryan: *nú, *nū́
  - Sanskrit: नु (nú), नू (nū́, “now”)
- Proto-Iranian: *nū́
  - Avestan: 𐬥𐬏 (nū, “now”)
  - Kurdish:
    Northern Kurdish: niha (nihā), noke (nōka, “now”)
    
    Central Kurdish: ھەنووکە (hanūka, “now”)
  - Northern Kurdish: nika (nikā, “now”)
- ⇒? Proto-Indo-Iranian: *-aHni (ending of 1sg.subj.act.) (< *-aH + *nú, with *-u > *-i influenced by 2sg. *-āsi, 3sg. *-āti^[2])
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan:
    - Sanskrit: -आनि (-āni)
  - Proto-Iranian:
    - Avestan:
      Old Avestan: -𐬁𐬥𐬍 (-ānī)
      
      Younger Avestan: -𐬁𐬥𐬌 (-āni), -𐬈𐬥𐬌 (-eni)
Proto-Italic: *nū^[3]
- ⇒ Latin: nūper
- ⇒ Latin: nudius (length of both u's unclear)
Proto-Tocharian: *nū^[13]
- Tocharian A: nu
- Tocharian B: no

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*nu”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 294-295
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 Dunkel, George E. (2014), “1.*nú 'nun, jetzt'”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, pages 577-583
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “num”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 418
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Lubotsky, Alexander (2011), “nūnám”, in The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University, page 349
^ Derksen, Rick (2015), “nūn”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 338
^ Derksen, Rick (2008), “*nyně, *nъně”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 360
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 Edelʹman, D. I. (2015), “*nū, *nu”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 5, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 564-6
^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “nano”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 350
^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998), “nu”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden; Boston; Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 301
^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), “nu”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 702-703
^ Derksen, Rick (2008), “nъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 360
^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*nū”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 392
^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “no”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 369-370

[EDPC-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*nu”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 294-295

[LIPP-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 Dunkel, George E. (2014), “1.*nú 'nun, jetzt'”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, pages 577-583

[DV-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “num”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 418

[IAIL-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Lubotsky, Alexander (2011), “nūnám”, in The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University, page 349

[5] Derksen, Rick (2015), “nūn”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 338

[6] Derksen, Rick (2008), “*nyně, *nъně”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 360

[ESIJa-7] 7.0 ^7.1 Edelʹman, D. I. (2015), “*nū, *nu”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 5, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 564-6

[8] Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “nano”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 350

[9] Orel, Vladimir E. (1998), “nu”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden; Boston; Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 301

[10] Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), “nu”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 702-703

[11] Derksen, Rick (2008), “nъ”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 360

[12] Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*nū”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 392

[13] Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “no”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 369-370

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]