tal(da)

adverb. to the bottom, to the bottom, [ᴹQ.] downwards

Several specialized adverbs having to do with “bottom” appeared in various documents: ᴱQ. talta “to the bottom (of)” (PE15/71), ᴹQ. tal “downwards” and ᴹQ. talte “down, at the bottom” (PE21/21-22), and tăl or talda “to the bottom” (PE21/76), the first from the early 1920s, the second pair from the 1930s, and the last pair from the early 1950s. The last was derived from ✶tald(a), where ✶-da was the ancient allative suffix “to” also seen in Q. tar(a) “thither” (PE19/104; VT49/11). Its base root is √TAL “foot”, so its original meaning was “to the foot”. Compare also cas(ta) “to the top, (orig.) to the head”.