*ser-

The comparison of Lycian B zrẽtẽne/i- c. and Lyd. šarẽta- c. both referring to a title meaning ‘protector’ or ‘patron’ allow the reconstruction of a participle in *-nt- derived from a root verb *ser-, i.e. *ser-Ént-. While the Lycian B participle was further extended with the suffix -ẽne/i- (< *-é-no-) to create the agent noun, the Lydian one was extended with -a- c. (probably from *-eh₂- c.). The meaning of the root is reconstructed by Melchert 1992a:47 as ‘to watch’ adducing an Indo-European cognate (followed by Gérard 2005a:112, likewise Shevoroshkin 2014a:235). Yakubovich (pers. comm.) draws the attention to the homonym prepositional root *ser ‘on top of’ attested as Hitt. šēr, CLuw. šarri, suggesting that the two roots might be connected.

[D.S.]

According to LIV²:534, the PIE root *ser- means ‘to watch (over sb.), protect’ vel sim. EIEC:458 reconstructs a meaning ‘to protect’, adding: “The geographical distribution of the reflexes of this word would seem to guarantee its PIE status.” Cf. also Watkins 2000a:76 s.v. ser-¹.

PIE *ser- ‘to watch over, protect’ could ultimately stem from the PIE local particle *sér ‘above, on top’ (Hitt. sēr adv. ‘above, on top’; cf. LIPP II:682–684), originally denoting “das optische Beaufsichtigen von einer Höhe aus”, as per LIPP II:683 n. 16 with lit.

As far as the verbal stem formation is concerned, LIV²:534 sets up an athematic root present PIE *sér-/*sr-´ as the basis of derived forms like Lyd. sarẽta- ‘protector’This reflects a preform *serń̥to- (as per Melchert 1994a:341, LIV²:534 n. 1), which might have been a thematization of an active participle *séront-, *s_ern̥t-, according to LIV²:534 n. 1., YAv. nišaŋharatū ‘is supposed to take care’ (Y 58.4), med. nī haraite ‘saves itself’ (Y 19.10)< PIran. *hara-, reflecting a thematic stem PIE *sere/o-. and Gk. Hom. 3pl. med. ὄρονται ‘they take care of, keep watch over’< PGk. *sore/o-, a thematic stem, the o-grade root of which could have been taken over from nominal stems such as PGk. *sor-ó- and *sor-ā́- (whence also denominative *sor-ā́-i̯e/o- > Gk. ὁράω ‘I see, look’); cf. LIV²:534 n. 3, Rix 1994a:77f., 80. Differently Hackstein 2002a:123–131, who operates with a root *su̯erh₃-, cf. the Greek transmission above. There is also good evidence in favor of an already PIE nominal and verbal stem *se/or-u̯e/o-: for nominal *se/or-u̯e/o-, cf. Iran. *haru̯a- in YAv. pasuš.hauruua- ‘protecting the cattle’ and – with substantivization – Lat. servus m. ‘slave’ (originally *‘guard, herdsman’, as per Rix 1994a:85); for a verbal stem *se/or-u̯e/o-, cf. Iran. *haru̯a- in YAv. nišhauruuaiti ‘takes care of, watches over’ (for the derivation, cf. Rix 1994a:79 and Rix 1995a:245).In LIV²:534, however, YAv. nišhauruuaiti ‘takes care of’ is explained as thematization of a u-stem present *sér-u-/*sr-u-´, the reconstruction of which is considered to be questionable, though. 

[T.S.]

YAv. nišaŋharatū ‘is supposed to take care’ (Y 58.4), med. YAv. nī haraite ‘saves itself’ (Y 19.10), YAv. nišhauruuaiti ‘takes care of’, YAv. pasuš.hauruua- ‘protecting the cattle’Cf., e.g., Bartholomae 1979a s.v. pasuš.haurva- and har-, Rix 1994a:77, 79, Rix 1995a:245, LIV²:534 s.v. 1.*ser- with n. 2 and 4.

Myc. o-pi … o-ro-me-no ‘taking care of’; Gk. Hom. 3pl. med. ὄρονται ‘they take care of, keep watch over’, ὁράω ‘I see, look’, οὖρος m. ‘watcher, guardian’Cf., e.g., GEW II:409f., Rix 1994a:61, 79f., LIV²:534 s.v. 1.*ser- with n. 3. Differently Hackstein 2002a:123–131, who traces Myc. o-ro-me-no, Gk. ὄρονται, and ὁράω to PGk. *su̯óro- < pre-PGkr. *su̯ŕ̥h₃- and connects this with Gk. ῥῦμαι, ἔρῡμαι, ῥύομαι ‘to keep off, protect, save’ < pre-PGk. *sruh₃- < *su̯r̥h₃- (with metathesis before consonant). This would amount to a common root form *su̯erh₃-. In LIV²:684f., however, Gk. (ἔ)ρῡ° is analyzed as a u-present of a PIE root *u̯er- ‘to hold back, ward off’, which might also underlie Ved. varūtár- m. ‘protector’, várutrī- f. ‘protectress’; cf. EDG:466f.

Lat. servus m. ‘slave’;< *ser-u̯o- ‘guard, herdsman’, cf. Rix 1994a:85, EDLIL:559; cf *sóru- for a different etymology. Osc. serevkid abl. sg. ‘supervision, responsibility, auctoritas’, Umbr. seritu 3sg. impv. II ‘to observe’Cf., e.g., Untermann 2000a:669f.