kušalā(i)-
‘to curry’
- Language
- Cuneiform Luwian
- Class
- Base
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 577
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Luwian in Hittite transmission
kušalā(i)-
‘to curry’1.1.1Transmission
The verb is attested only in the MS versions of the horse training texts introduced by ritual (CTH 285).
[E.R.]
1.1.2Forms
| 3pl. pres. ind. act. | ku-ša-la-a-an-zi | KUB 29.44 iii 7 | (CTH 285, MS) |
| ku-ša-la-a-an-zi | KUB 29.48 rev. 21’ | (CTH 285, MS) | |
| ku-ša-[la-a-an-zi] | KUB 29.44 iii 18’ | (CTH 285, MS) | |
| GIŠku-ša-la-a-an-zi | KUB 29.44 ii 11 | (CTH 285, MS) | |
| GIŠku-ša-la-a-an-zi | KUB 29.41, 5’ | (CTH 285, MS) | |
| ku-š[a]-la-a-an-zi | KUB 29.44 iii 12 | (CTH 285, MS) | |
| ku-ša-la-a-an-z[i] | KUB 29.55 ii 5 | (CTH 285, MS) |
1.1.3Meaning
Güterbock 1964b:273, correcting the interpretation of (Kammenhuber 1961b:155) ‘to unleash, to free from halter’, recognized the meaning of the verb as ‘to scrape’, which with respect to the grooming of horses is ‘to curry’ (Starke 1990a:327f.). This is accepted in HW (2nd ed.):447, HED: K 289f., CLL:113, ?), Ünal 2007a:376 (‘scrape, stroke’); more hesitantly HEG:A-K 669 and Tischler 2008a:86 (‘striegeln’?, ‘abhalftern’).
[E.R.]
1.1.4Origin
While there is no way of arguing on formal grounds against Puhvel’s skepticism regarding the Luwian origin of kušalā(i)-, following Starke 1990a:327-329, the juxtaposition kušalā(i)- and the Luwian loan word palḫšā(i)- together with the semantic similarity between kušalā(i)- and kūš(a)i- (or kūša(i)-) ‘to scrape, grate’, the context of which is now better understood, tips the scales towards a coherent Luwian solution.
[E.R.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction
Following Starke 1990a:327-329, kušalā(i)- ‘to curry, comb’ is a secondary denominative verb derived from a putative instrument noun with the Luwian suffix -āl- n. (< PAnat. *-ó-lo- n.), i.e. *kušāl- ‘curry, comb’. For further discussion, see kūš(a)i- (or kūša(i)-).
[E.R.]