wyrt

(pl. -ir), f. aromatic herb.

* * *

f., later urt, which forms also occur in old writers, Al. 85, Hom. 53, no doubt a borrowed word from the Germ. or Saxon; the j being a substitute for the Germ. w, which cannot be sounded in Icel. before the letter u; [A. S. wyrt; Engl. wort; O. H. G. wurz; Germ. würze; Dan. urt]:—aromatic herbs, used to season wine, dishes, ointment; in old writers only in that sense, whereas in mod. usage = a herb; smyrsl ok jurtir, Magn. 430; smyrja með dýrustum jurtum, Al. 30; skaltú laugask ok smyrja þik ágætum jurtum, Stj. 423; dýrligra urta, Eluc. 53; dýrar jurtir, Fas. iii. 359; allar þær urtir er bezt ilma, Al. 85; ágætar jurtir, Bs. i. 258; krydd ok jurtir, Stj. 194; ilmandi urtir, Hom. 53.

II. mod. a herb; grösin og jurtir grænar, Hallgr.

COMPDS: jurtagarðr, jurtaklefi, jurtarlegr, jurtateinungr.

n. wort (in brewing).

* * *

n. [A. S. wyrt; Engl. wort; Ivar Aasen vyrt or vurt; Swed. vört]:—the sweet-wort, new beer, not yet fully fermented; virtr ok vín ( ale and wine) is an allit. phrase; á víni ok virtri, Sdm. 8; and so in the Faroe lays, virtur og so vin, A.A. 322.

mezgá (dial.) `sap-wood, pulp, membrane, remnants of meat on the inside of a hide' [f ā]

mězga `sap, sap-wood, resin' [f ā];

mjazga `sap-wood, resin' [f ā]

míza `sap' [f ā];

mizga (Mor. dial.) `sap' [f ā]

miezha `sap' [f ā];

miezka `sap' [f ā]

mézga `sap' [f ā];

mézgra `sap' [f ā]

Comments: Obviously, some forms have been influenced semantically and/or formally by -> *męzdra. The original meaning of the etymon seems to be `sap of (trees)' rather than `sap-wood'. The connection with MoHG Maische, MHG meisch, OE māx-wyrt `mash (in a brewery)' is not unattractive, but becomes less plausible if the Germanic word derives from OHG miscen, OE miscian `mix'. The ESSJa suggests that the root is *h₃meiǵʰ- (-> mižati II, etc.) and adduces Sln. mǝzẹ́ti `trickle', mẹ́žiti se `begin to contain sap'. The seemingly obvious semantic link may be secondary, however.

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `root', also metaph. `origin, stem, base' (Il.).

Other forms: Aeol. βρίζα, βρίσδα).

Dialectal forms: Myc. wiriza \/wriza\/.

Compounds: Several compp., a.g. ῥιζο-τόμος m. `root-cutter, -gatherer, herbalist', πολύ-ρριζος `having many roots, rich in roots' (Hp., Thphr.).

Derivatives: 1. ῥιζίον n. `little root' (Ar., Thphr.), pl. - έα (Nic., - εῖα Al. 265), prob. after ὀστέα beside (Dor.) ὀστία. 2. ῥιζίας m. ( ὀπός) `root juice' (: καυλίας; Thphr.). 3. adj. ῥίζ-ώδης `rootlike' (Thphr., Hero), - ικός `belonging to roots' (Plu.), - ινος `made of roots' ( PHolm.), - αῖος `serving as a base' (Sardes). 4. adv. ῥίζ-ηθεν (A. R.), - όθεν (Nic., Luc.) `out of the root'; - ηδόν `in a rootlike way' (Hld.). 5. verb ῥιζόομαι ( ἐρρίζωται), - όω (- ῶσαι), also w. ἐν-, ἐκ-, κατα- a.o. `to strike root, to root, to provide with roots, to affirm, to consolidate' (Od.; cf. Schwyzer 731, Ure Class Quart. N. S. 5, 226f.) with ῥίζ-ωμα n. `original ground, origin, rootworks' (A., Emp., Thphr.; Porzig Satzinhalte 188f.), - ωσις f. `striking root' (Philol., Thphr. a.o.). -- On ῥίζα and compounds and derivv. extens. Strömberg Theophrastea 5 8 ff.

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: From Aeol. βρίζα appears PGr. *Ϝρίδ-ι̯α, which differs in vocalism from Lat. rādīx = rād-ī-c-s (with enlarging -c- as e.g. in genetrī-x); in both cases we have a ι̯α-, resp. ī-deriv. of a noun, which is also found in Germ. and Celt.: ONorse rōt f. `root' from PGm. *u̯rōt-, IE *u̯rād-, which may be seen also in Lat. rād-īx (cf. below); beside it, with i-stem and zero grade Goth. waurts, OE wyrt, OHG MHG wurz `herb, root', PGm. *u̯urt-i-, IE *u̯r̥d(-i)-; Celt., e.g. Welsh gwraidd coll. `roots' with ī-suffix but the root vocalism has not been explained. The Germ. and Celt. forms and ῥίζα cannot represent a weak- or reduced grade; in spite of Schwyzer 352 who wants to assume a vowel i representing a reduced grade. (Lat. rādīx, but not ONorse rōt, can represent IE *u̯rHd-, but in other forms there is no laryngeal.) So the foms cannot be explained as yet, and we must reckon with loans. (Vine UCLA Indo-European Studies I 1999, 5-30 does not solve the problem.) -- Toch. B witsako `root' remains to be explained (hypothesis by v. Windekens Lex. étym. s.v.). Further forms w. lit. in WP. 1, 288 Pok. 1167, W.-Hofmann s. rādīx. Cf. ῥάδαμνος, ῥάδιξ. Cf. also NGr. (Rhodos) ῥόζος `root', a cross of ῥίζα and ὄζος `branch' (Hatzidakis Άθ. 29, 180ff.).

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