breth

noun. (beech) mast, *beech nut

A word for “mast” developed from the primitive form ᴹ✶b’rethā or ✱✶berethā (Ety/BERÉTH), because in Ilkorin unstressed initial syllables reduced to favored clusters. It seems this word referred to “beech nuts” rather than the mast of a ship, perhaps generalized to all kinds of forest nuts, as in the Old English word “mæst”. The normal Ilkorin word for “beech tree” is galbreth or neldor.

Cognates

• N. breth “mast, *fallen nuts or acorns”

Derivations

• ᴹ✶b’rethā “beech-mast” ✧ Ety/BERÉTH
  • ᴹ√BERETH “beech” ✧ Ety/BERÉTH

Element in

• Ilk. galbreth “beech” ✧ Ety/BERÉTH
• N. brethil “beech” ✧ Ety/BERÉTH

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶b’rethā > breth	[berétʰā] > [berétʰa] > [brétʰa] > [bréθa] > [bréθ]	✧ Ety/BERÉTH