A new hypothesis on the etymology of Lat. mulier ∼eris ‘woman’
-
Lucio Melazzo
and
Roberta Melazzo
Abstract
Etymological dictionaries of Latin – whether by Ernout and Meillet, Walde and Hofmann, or de Vaan – show that the origin of mulier remains uncertain. In response, the authors propose a new etymology, pursuing a previously unexplored approach. A formal analysis, grounded in historical phonetics and comparative Indo-European linguistics, is complemented by a cultural interpretation of the hypothesized meaning. This latter perspective likewise reveals notable parallels with conceptions attested in other Indo-European traditions.
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Articles in the same Issue
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- More on the collapse of contrastive vowel length in late Latin: a review of the metalinguistic evidence
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- A new hypothesis on the etymology of Lat. mulier ∼eris ‘woman’
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Articles in the same Issue
- 10.1515/joll-2025-frontmatter1
- Articles
- Clausal versus phrasal comparatives in Latin
- More on the collapse of contrastive vowel length in late Latin: a review of the metalinguistic evidence
- A note on Latin nota ‘mark, sign’
- A new hypothesis on the etymology of Lat. mulier ∼eris ‘woman’
- On the etymology of Latin signum and its Sabellic counterparts
