13. The sound of food “m”
and the aggressive protoroot “r”:
“mr” and “rm”
There is no need to talk about delicious and pleasant food. The food is always pleasant. Probably, it is possible to enhance its taste with a soft sound “l’” – “ml’”, “ml`eko” (an ancient form of the word “moloko” – “milk” ), “molot’” (grind), “mal`en`kiy” (small), but there is no great need for this. Although were found many “sacred stones” on which grain was ground.
However, there is a need to protect people from trouble and aggressive danger that food can bring. Therefore, two combinations of protoroots: “mr” and “rm” appeared. Despite the fact that they are based on two roots: “m” for food and “r” for aggression, their meaning is markedly different.
The protoroot “mr” – “aggressive food” – has the meaning “mertviy” (dead). Perhaps, “food that carries aggression, trouble, pain and death.” It formed a large number of words: “mor” (pestilence), “mertviy” (dead), “smrad” (stench), “merzost’” (abomination) and others. This is the “moroz” (frost) that kills all living things. This is also the “more” (sea), the famous “mertvayavoda” (dead water), unsuitable for drinking, but having healing properties, water which has retained its name in Russian folk tales about “living” water and “dead” water. This is the Greek god of dreams Morpheus, and even the science of “morphology”. Surprisingly, this root also forms the word “mir” (peace). However, the interpretation is a little creepy: peace (mir) came after the last warrior died. There was no one to fight. Then came “mir” – eternal rest. “Zamirenie” (from Russian archaic verb “usmirit’” which meant, “to make piece”). Over time, the meaning of the word expanded, but the original meaning “absence of war”, or “to replace war” remained.
The protoroots “m” and “r” in reverse order form a protoroot that has a completely different meaning. “Rm” is aggression that prevents access to food. It is easier to understand its meaning if we consider the word “rama” (frame) formed by this root. Russian Dictionary by Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl or the etymological dictionary of the Russian language by Max Fasmer is enough to hear the whole palette of meanings of this ancient protoroot. Moreover, both Fasmer and Dahl explain this word in exactly the same way. Only Fasmer believes that this word is German, and Dahl writes that the Germans borrowed it from the Slavs. The word “ramo” has quite a lot of meanings, from the concept of “plecho” (shoulder) to a variety of meanings: “buiniy” (violent), “sil`niy” (strong), “ogromniy” (huge), “krepkiy” (hard), “dremuchiy” (dense), “kray” (edge), “granitsa” (border). It even reaches such meanings as “chudo” (miracle) and “chudovishche” (monster). Such were the obstacles that a person had to overcome in order to get food and survive.
14. The sounds of contact, “poking” and the aggressive sound “r”: “tr” and “dr”
Any contact is always dangerous because it can damage the arm, leg or even the head. Even a random hit a rock, a sharp twig, or an unsuccessful fall. What about a non-random hit? The stronger the hit, the more pain it causes. This is how the aggressive touch protoroots “tr” and “dr” formed. These protoroots were the basis of a large number of words that have the meaning of aggressive contact, causing pain and damage. The simplest word is “dira”. Its basis has been preserved in many languages: in Russian – “dira”, in English – a tear, in French – un trou, in German – durchbruch, in Greek – τρύπα, in Latin – foraminis.
A strong hit always damages or pierces something. The smoke outlet tear is a “truba” (pipe), (protoroots: tr-po). The hole for the air outlet is the “trahea”, (trachea) (protoroots: tr-ho). A hole from a blow is a “travma” (injury) (protoroots: tr-v-ma). A hole in the skull during surgeryis “trepanachiya” (trepanation) (protoroots: tr-panachiya). Quarrel and striking is a fight (“draka”, protoroots: dr-ka), that is, a dira/tear in the head. Oven with a hole is “tandir” (tandoor) (tan-dr). An open hole in the sky is atrium (protoroots: a-tr). An open “dira” to the gods is “teatr” (theater) (protoroots: teo-a-tr). Even the word “trusi” (drawers)is also “holes made in the skin where the legs were inserted”. The British also have underpants with “dira” – drawers, and clothes with “dira” – dresses. The dress code is also about drawers.
In ancient Greek the male name Peter had the meaning “stone, rock” (πέτρος). How could it have appeared? The protoroots forming it: “po” is “along” and “tr” is “dira”, originally spoke of a rocky terrain with sharply protruding stones that wounded, pierced the legs. Later sharp stones were used as tools, preserving both the protoroots “po” and “tr”, and the semantic meaning of “stone”. For example, we can compare it with the name of Khan Giray. “Gr-ay” is “strong as a rock”. The word “geroy” is in the same logic. Strong people were compared to the fortress of a stone or a rock.
There are a huge number of words of the same root. There are also many toponyms that formed these protoroots. We will review some, but among them there is the most famous and oldest toponym —Troy. Troy is a “dira”, a passage to other seas, which the Trojans fiercely defended and for which they extract tribute. Until now, the passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits is regulated by various conventions, and wars were fought for this right before.
15. Ancient prepositions
In any textbook of the Russian language there is a section telling about prepositions called ancient or the most ancient. We have many scientific works about prepositions and their properties and we will try to understand how these prepositions appeared and what meanings they were endowed with. Someday, ignorance of these basics put one of the leaders of the Institute of the Russian language in an awkward situation. Therefore, understanding the meaning of ancient prepositions should be treated with great attention.
It is believed that there are quite a lot of prepositions. One scientific work quotes the figure 127. But usually the following prepositions are included in the textbook list: “v” (in/into), “bez” (without), “do” (before), “iz” (from), “k” (to), “na” (on/onto), “po” (along), “o” (about), “ot” (from), “pered” (in front of), “pri” (near), “cherez” (through), “s” (with), “y” (near/next to), “za” (for/behind), “nad” (over), “ob” (about), “pod” (under), “pro” (about) and"dlya” (for). I think that readers who have read the previous pages will immediately determine that prepositions are protoroots, some of which we have already considered.
For example, the simplest ancient preposition is “k” (to). If the sounds “x”, “g” and “k”