*b^hḗh₂ā-

Starke 1990a:104-106 establishes the meaning ‘brightness’ for the unattested base *piḫa, recoverable from the derivatives listed below. He establishes an etymological connection with Skt. bhās- n. ‘light, brightness, splendor’ (followed by HEG P:603), reconstructing a Proto-Indo-European neuter s-stem *b^héh₂-os-, though with lengthened grade in the Luwian pre-form, i.e. *ē > i. However, more synchronic work on the Luwian material has demonstrated that there is no s-stem built to this root that would be attested in Luwian. Nonetheless, the root etymological remains most promising.

Taking the data seriously, we are dealing with an unattested base *piḫa- from which several formations stem. Considering that a factitive in *-eh₂- and a denominative in *-eh₂-i̯o- were derived from this reconstructed base (see piḫamma/i- and piḫaimma/i-), it is very likely that we are dealing with a formation in *-eh₂-, either in the common gender or in the collective/plural tantum, i.e. PLuw. *b^hḗh₂ā-. In any case, the accented lengthened grade is important to account for the lenition of the laryngeal.

Concerning the root etymology, one encounters in the literature a competing root, i.e. *b^hei̯H- ‘fear’ (see Lehrman 1978a:224-228), which is phonologically fine, but semantically less attractive. Puhvel (HED PA, PE, PI:76) suggests instead a connection with the Indo-European root for ‘fat’ as reflected in ved. páyate ‘to swell’, which is overall unconvincing.

[D.S.]

The root *b^heh₂- meant ‘to shine’ and has descendants in all branches except Baltic. Its core meaning ‘to emit light, to shine’ is clearly preserved in Indic (e.g., Vedic bhā́ti ‘shines’), Iranic (Avestan fra-uuāiti ‘shines forth’), Slavic (Upper Sorbian bać ‘to gleam’), Italic (Latin iūbar), and perhaps Greek (φάντα· λάμποντα ‘shining’).

The present *b^hh₂-n/n̥-i̯e/o-, (Arm.),*b^h-n̥-(h₂-)i̯e/o- *b^hh₂-n̥-i̯e/o- (Gk., Alb.) with its complex suffix and idiosyncratic meaning ‘bring to light’ (Ancient Greek φαίνω ‘to make visible, bring to light’, Armenian banam ‘I open’, Albanian bën ‘makes, does’) is one of the most striking isoglosses between Greek, Armenian, and Albanian (see Schumacher & Matzinger 2013a:49). A *-no-adjective *b^heh₂-no- is attested in Celtic (Old Irish bán ‘white’) and Germanic (Middle Dutch boen ‘fit, good, pretty’); its substantivization *b^heh₂nu-, attested in Indo-Iranian (Vedic bhānú- m. ‘light, ray, splendor’, Young Avestan bānu- m. ‘ray of light’) is one of the prime examples for the derivation of *-u-substantivizations from thematic adjectives (Nussbaum 1998a:527f., Höfler 2015b:228f.).

[S.H.]

Hieroglyphic Luwian /pihassa-/ ‘vigour (?), glory (?)’, Cuneiform Luwian piḫaššašša/i- ‘(a divine epithet)’, Lycian B pigasa- ‘victory, glory (?)’, etc.

Vedic bhā́ti ‘shines’, bhā́- f. ‘shine, light’, bhā́s- n. ‘light, ray’, bhānú- m. ‘light, ray, splendor’, etc.Cf., e.g., EWAia II:XXX s.v. XXX, LIV²:68f. s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-.

Young Avestan fra-uuāiti ‘shines forth’, bānu- m. ‘ray of light’, Late Khotanese vīv(a)- ‘shine’.Cf., e.g., EWAia s.v., ALF:, LIV²:68f. s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-, LIV²+ s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-.

Ancient Greek φαίνω, -ομαι, redupl. παμ-φαίνω, aor. φῆναι (Dor. φᾶναι), intr. φανῆναι (Il.+), fut. φανέω, -ῶ (Il.+), -έομαι (Od.+), -ήσομαι (Hdt. etc.), perf. mid. πέφασμαι, 3sg. πέφανται (Il.+), act. intr. πέφηνα (Att.-Ion.), Dor. πέφᾱνα (Sophr.), aor. mid. trans. φήνασθαι (Att.-Ion.), intr. and pass. φανθῆναι (Att.) ‘to make visible, bring to light, show, declare’; in the middle and active intransitive: ‘to become visible, come to light, show oneself, appear’, old root present participle (?) φάντα· λάμποντα ‘shining’ (Hsch. φ 146 Latte-Hansen-Cunningham), φώς, gen. φωτός m. ‘hero’ (Il.+).Cf., e.g., GEW II:982–984 s.v. φαίνω, LIV²:68f. s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-, on φώς see Peters 1993b:101–108.

Latin iūbar, -aris n. ‘radiance of celestial bodies, sunshine, light’ (Enn., Pacuv.+).Cf., e.g., Stüber 2002a:71, NIL:7 s.v. *b^heh₂-.

Armenian banam ‘I open’.Cf., e.g., Klingenschmitt 1982a:112f., LIV²:68f. s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-.

Old Irish bán ‘white’.Cf., e.g., NIL:7 s.v. *b^heh₂-.

Middle Dutch boen ‘fit, good, pretty’, Proto-Germanic *bōnjan- ‘to decorate’ (Old English bōnian ‘to ornament’, Dutch boenen ‘to polish’, German bohnern ‘id.’, etc.).Cf., e.g., EDPG:72 s.v. *bōnjan-, NIL:7 s.v. *b^heh₂-.

Tocharian B erepate, A arämpāt ‘form, appearance’.Cf., e.g., Adams 1999as.v. erepate, NIL:7 s.v. *b^heh₂-.

Upper Sorbian baju so, inf. bać ‘to gleam’, (?) Russian bas, basá ‘beauty, decoration’.Cf., e.g., LIV²:68f. s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-, Vasmer 1953a I:58.

Albanian bën ‘makes, does’, Old Gheg /ban/.Cf., e.g., LIV²:68f. s.v. 1. *b^heh₂-, Schumacher & Matzinger 2013a:965.