*u̯ei̯s-

An etymological connection between the Luwian verb wiš(a)i-^(di) ‘to appear, emerge’ and the Palaic adjective wīšta- ‘thick’, which refers to bread loaves, is suggested here. Based on the Luwian verb wiš(a)ī-^(di) and its verbal stem formation, Sasseville 2021a:224f. suggests an etymological equation with Lat. vireo ‘to be green’, whose meaning originates in the semantic sphere of sprouting (see under Proto-Luwic *u̯(o)i̯s-éi̯e/o-^(di)). The original semantics of ‘to sprout’ account also for the meaning of the Palaic verbal noun wīšta- ‘thick’ referring to the baking process of the bread as it is “emerging” or suddenly becoming thick.

Palaic wīšta- ‘thick’, Hitt. or Luw. ^NINDAwīšta- (a type of bread) and the Cuneiform Luwian derivatives wīštašša/i-, wištatnimma/i- have been etymologically connected to one another (HEG W-Z:568f. with further literature). While the exact grade of the Proto-Anatolian root reflected in wīs- is unclear, the sequence -ta- should go back to a deverbal formation in *-to-. This formation attests that there must have been a root verb, from which both the formation in *-to- and the formation in *-éi̯e/o-^(di) were derived. There is possibly one attestation of the root verb in HLuw., i.e. wa/i-sà-tá (AKSARAY, §1b) (see under lemma /wis(a)i-^(di)/). Unfortunately, the context is too fragmentary to verify this hypothesis. Therefore, a verb */wis-/ cannot yet be considered attested.

Earlier suggestions implied a PIE root such *u̯ei̯s- or *u̯es- (*e > i between *w and dental obstruent, for which see Melchert 1994a:216, 240). The former root is adduced by Starke 1990a:73 n. 170, who connects it to a root meaning ‘to turn’ (IEW:1133). The latter is suggested by Neumann 1962a:208 n. 13, who connects it with the PIE root ‘to graze, consume’ (LIV²:693f.). These etymologies are now outdated.

[D.S.]

If the material listed above sub Transmission contains etymological cognates, the root in question has to be reconstructed as ‘to sprout, prosper, grow’ for Core IE (as per LIV²:671, IEW:1133). The attested meanings ‘sprout’, ‘fruit’, ‘to procreate’, ‘to raise’, ‘to be green (= vital)’ are well reconcilable with ‘to sprout, prosper, grow’. However, neither LIV² nor IEW take the Anatolian material into account, which attests a root PAnat. *u̯ei̯s- ‘to emerge (vel sim.)’. The meaning of the PIE root may thus be reconstructed in a more general way, viz. as PIE 1.*u̯ei̯s- ‘to swell, emerge, appear (vel sim.)’.There might be a relationship between this root PIE 1.*u̯ei̯s- ‘to emerge’ and PIE 2.*u̯ei̯s- ‘to flow’ (LIV²:672) (via ‘to swell, well’ vel sim.), which cannot be discussed here, however.

While there is no verbal stem that is explicitly reconstructable for PIE, the only recognizable nominal formation dating from the proto-language is an i‑stem PIE *u̯ei̯s-i- (vel sim.) ‘sprout’ continued as ON vísir ‘bud, sprout’, PBalt. *u̯ei̯s-i- ‘fruit’ (→ OPr. wēisin ‘fruit’, etc.), and Alb. vesh ‘fruit, grape’. The root in question is unequivocally reconstructable as PIE 1.*u̯ei̯s- ‘to swell, emerge, appear (vel sim.)’ (LIV²:671, IEW:1133).

[A.O.]

On the Latin transmission (esp. virēre ‘to be green’), cf. PLuw. *u̯(o)i̯sei̯e/o-^(di) ‘to appear’

ON vísir m. ‘bud, sprout’, OE wîse f. ‘sprout, stalk’, (?)OHG wisa f. ‘meadow’
EDPG:—, Orel 2003a:441, de Vries 1977a:668, Bosworth & Toller 1898a:1241, Bosworth & Toller 1921a:747

Lith. veĩsti ‘to procreate, (dial.) bear fruit’, Latv. viest ‘to rear, raise; to be fertile’, Lith. nasal present vìsti ‘to procreate’,Cf. also the secondary causative Lith. vaisýti ‘to fertilize, beget’.Lith. vaĩsius ‘fruit’, OPr. acc. sg. (or dat. pl., cf. Smoczyński 2005a:399) wēisin ‘id.’ (III 109.8) (= ON vísir ‘bud, sprout’?), OPr. adv. weijsewingi ‘fertile’ (III 105.26)Mažiulis (PKEŽ² s.v. wissa) also connects OPr. wissa ‘all’ and its cognates (< pre-BSl. *u̯iso- ‘all’), but cf. LIPP II:852f. with nn. 15–17 and EDBIL:507/EDSIL:540 for alternative etymologies.
EDBIL:485, 495, ALEW II:1170f., 1208, LEW II:1184, 1214, 1265, Smoczyński 2005a:399, PKEŽ² s.vv. wēisin, weijsewingi

Alb. vesh m. ‘fruit, grape’, adj. veshël ‘fruitful’
AED:501 (= Alb. vesh ‘ear’), Demiraj 1997a:415, Jokl 1923a:213–215 (= Lith. vaĩsius ‘fruit’)