*terk^u̯-

A connection of the Hittite verb tar(k)u-^(mi) ‘to dance’ with PIE *terk^u̯- ‘to turn’ (e.g. Lat. torqueō; see below) was suggested by Benveniste 1962a:125 and followed by Oettinger 1979a:225f., Melchert 1994a:61 and Kloekhorst (EDHIL:842-844) all with further literature; cf. HEG T:236, who has troubles keeping this word family with the one of *terg^u̯- ‘to threaten’ (see CLuw. taruyalla/i-) apart. Concerning the meaning of tarkumm(a)i-^(di) ‘to interpret’, typological parallels for ‘to turn over’ for ‘to pass on’ as in Hungarian fordító ‘interpreter’, an active participle of fordít ‘to turn’, are provided by Simon 2020h:613.

The difference between internal -ku- and -u-, which was attributed by Melchert as Hittite vs. Luwian can be abandoned (with *g^u̯ > Luw. -w-), if one follows Kloekhorst’s view (EDHIL:843f.) that -k- is sporadically dropped between R and C, i.e. Hitt. tar-uk-zi /tark^wzi/ beside Hitt. tar-ú-zi, Hitt. tar-ku-iš-ke/a- beside Hitt. tar-ú-i-eš-ke/a-. Further derivatives could thus be built from the stem variant tarw-, e.g. Hitt. ^LÚtarwešgala- ‘dancer (?)’. Therefore, the same sound change would have to be assumed for Luwian or Pre-Luwian.

Concerning the etymology of CLuw. tarza- ‘to turn’, one should compare Rieken 2004a:465 (Sasseville 2021a:448) with the etymological link to *treh₁- (LIV²:647) and the lemma tarza- with *terk^u̯-i̯e/o-. Furthermore, the newly suggested link to the root *terk^u̯- faces phonological and morphological problems, since one would expect the outcome to be tarzi-^(ti); cf. CLuw. wazzi-^(ti) for *u̯(e)k̑-i̯é/ó-, thus without entirely losing the glide and thus changing its stem class. In any case, further attestations are needed to verify the exact verbal stem class of CLuw. tarza-.

[D.S.]

The notion of ‘spinning, turning, winding, moving back and forth’ is evident in all formations mentioned in the table above and can therefore be assumed as the basic meaning of the root *terk^u̯-.

The root *terk^u̯- ‘turn, spin, wind, move back and forth’ might also have had a schwebeablaut variant *trek^u̯-. Under this assumption, one can readily account for Greek τρέπω, aor. τρέψαι, τραπεῖν, fut. τρέψω ‘turn, twist, sweep, put to flight; reverse, change, take flight, etc.’ (Hom.+), which is a perfect semantic fit (cf. van Beek 2022a:68 with footnotes, arguing against an affiliation with *trep- as per LIV²:650), and for the Mycenaean present participle to-ro-qe-jo-me-no /trok^wejomenos/ ‘making tours (?)’ (corresponding to alphabetical Greek τροπέω ‘turn’?). At least for the latter, a zero grade *tr̥k^u̯- cannot fully be ruled out, but note the different vocalization in to-qi-de /tork^widei/ ‘with a spiral’ (if < *tr̥k^u̯- and not *tork^u̯-), which is reminiscent of qe-to-ro-° /kʷetro-°/ ‘four’  (< *k^u̯etr̥-° in qe-to-ro-po-pi ‘cattle’; cf. τετράπους ‘four-footed’) and to-pe-za /torpeza/ ‘table’ (< *k^u̯tr̥-° ‘four-’ or *tr̥-° ‘three-foot’; cf. τράπεζα). Alternatively, one might speculate that the root variant *trek^u̯- arose within Greek by wrongly upgrading the zero grade *tr̥k^u̯-. In Homer, at least, the zero grade verbal formations (thematic aorist, perfect) outnumber the full grade ones (present, future, s-aorist), the thematic aorist (ἔ)τραπε being more than twice as common as the present τρέπω in the Iliad.

[S.H.]

Hittite tar(k)u-^(mi) ‘to dance’, tarwa- ʻdanceʼ, Cuneiform Luwian taruwāliya- ‘dance’, Luwian in Hittite Transmission tarkummā(i)-^(mi)) ‘to report, translate’;  Hieroglyphic Luwian /tarkummam(i)-/ c. ‘interpreter’See above and EDHIL:842-844.

Vedic TARK ‘to turn, move back and forth’ in niṣ-ṭarkyà- ‘able to be opened by unscrewing or loosened by untwisting’ (Kāṭh, TS+), tarku- ‘spindle’ (Gr̥Sū+), Sanskrit tarka- ‘conjecture, reasoning, speculation, inquiry’ (Up, Sū+), tarkaya- ‘to conjecture, guess, reflect, think of’ (ep.+).Cf., e.g., EWAia I:633 s.v. TARK.

(?) Khotanese hataljsā’re (< *fra-tarča-) ‘to flutter’.Cf., e.g., EWAia I:633 s.v. TARK, LIV²+ s.v. *terk^w-.

Mycenaean Greek to-qi-de /tork^widei/ ‘with a spiral’, to-qi-de-jo /tork^widejos/ ‘decorated with spirals’, to-ro-qe-jo-me-no /trok^wejomenos/ ‘making tours (?)’, Ancient Greek ἄτρακτος m. (f.) ‘spindle, arrow’ (Hdt., Pl., Ar., Arist., etc.).Cf., e.g., GEW I:180 s.v. ἄτρακτος, DMic II:364 s.vv. to-qi-de, to-qi-de-jo, 366f. s.v. to-ro-qe-jo-me-no.

Latin torqueō, torsī, tortum ‘to turn, wind’ (Plaut.+), torquēs, -is f. ‘collar of twisted metal’ (Plaut.+), torculus ‘of or belonging to a press’ (Cato.+), tormina, -um n.pl. ‘a griping of the bowels, colic’ (Cato+), tormentum n. ‘rope (made of twisted hair); engine for hurling missiles; torture instrument; pain’ (Plaut.+), etc.Cf., e.g., EDLIL:624 s.v. torqueō.

(?) Proto-Germanic *þerhwaz > *þwerhaz ‘cross, adverse’ (Gothic þwairhs, Old Norse þverr, Old English þweorh, German quer and zwerch, etc.).Cf., e.g., EDPG:556 s.v. *þwerha-.

Tocharian B tärk- ‘to twine (around)’ (pret. ptcpl. tetarkuwa), carke ‘garland’, Tocharian A tark ‘earring’.Cf., e.g., Adams 1999a s.vv. tärk- and carke, Malzahn 2010a:655f.

Old Prussian tarkue (misspelled for tarkne?) ‘binding strap, harness strap’, Latvian tę̄rkа ‘cord for attaching buoys to fishing nets’.Cf., e.g., IEW:1077 s.v. terk-, trek- (tork-, trok-), Vasmer III:125 s.v. торо́к IV.

Proto-Slavic *tȏrkъ ‘strap, thong’ (Russian tórok m. ‘saddle strap’, Serbo-Croatian trȁka f. ‘strip, ribbon’, Polish trok m. ‘strap, ribbon’, etc.).Cf., e.g., Vasmer III:125 s.v. торо́к IV.

(?) Albanian tjerr ‘spins’.The loss of *-k^u̯- would, however, be unparalleled; see Schumacher & Matzinger 2013a:999; LIV²+ s.v. *terk^w- note 2b.