MAMA AND PAPA , MOTHERS AND FATHERS

T E R   OR   T H E R

• FATHER
  Wether the word parts or suffixes -ter , -ther, -der and -ðir indeed mean " looking after , caring for " is an important question. Until now no different convincing answer has been found. The Indo-European origin is seen as "*peter" or the likes, and this is then defined entirely as a root . It seems improbable that this is really the origin. The first part of " pater" , "pa" , means "father " in numerous languages but is then defined as baby-talk . We find it hard to agree to this and have tried to find an answer . This is shown in Similarity 0001 and the annexed Table.

   

  German has as well a word " Vetter ", constructed in a comparable way , meaning " cousin ". Earlier this word, in Old High German " fetiro ", meant " Uncle ". It is seen as having been developed out of the words for " father ", in Old High German " fater ". In Old English a " fædera " is a paternal uncle, but also a "godfather", that in German is a " Gevatter (OHG " gifatero"). The word for father is " fæder", that in plural says " parents ".

   

• DAUGHTER
  The word "θυγατηρ, thügatèr " is rich in cognates in many Indo-European languages. In fact Gothic "daúhtar " and Old Indian "duhitar " show a wide spread . The cognates show variations in the initial dental and the main vowel as well as the second consonant, but are well recognizable . We know no indications of links of the first part to other words or roots .

   

  Or perhaps there is one, in Hebrew . There we have "דגה" , "dagà ", that means " to proliferate , have descendents ". It is used in Genesis 48:16 and indicates that many descendents will be had. It does not specify if these will be male or female. We have inserted this root in our List of Similarities with number E 0364 (Hebrew 0310) , comparing it with other Germanic roots . If we suppose that the proliferation of fish with their enormous shoals in the sea is especially impressive, also the words in Similarity number Hebrew 0309 (E 0408) may be considered as related .

   

• ARATRUM
  This Latin word is sometimes linked to the problem of “-TER “ we are dealing with here. It is in Greek “αροτρον, arotron“ or in Doric “ αρατρον, aratron“, which according to Greek scholars are related to the verb “ αροω, aroo“ with the root “ αρο, aro“, perhaps an older and not quite correct theory. There are variations like “ αροτρευω arotreuo“, “αροτριαζω arotriazo” and “αροτριαω arotriao” . Some verbs have also figurative meanings, like to sow, to concoct, to beget a child. Anyhow they already have the same TR as seen in “aratrum”. Also Latin seems to have used some variations, like the noun “artrare” and the verb “aritrare “.

   

  The wordpart " -trum " might be not of Latin origin, but created on the example of Greek "-tron", as is the case with " spectrum ", based on the verb " specio " or " specto " with this special Greek-like suffix . This would narrow the problem to Greek "TR" but does not give a solution. Another Latin word is " monstrum ", but that has the verb " monstrare ", without a clearly defined etymology . And with " castrum " we are not better off .

   

  “Centrum” is a loanword from Greek “κεντρον kentron“ . This noun is based on the verb “ κεντέω kenteo“ or “ κεντω kento“, that means “ to prick “ in various senses . The “kentron” was a point or prick or goad . In the sense of the point of a ( pair of ) compasses it enriched the language by becoming the name for the “central” point of the circle described . That’s where our English “ centre “ comes from. But here we have the T already present in the original root, and only the R has been added visibly . We remain without explanation of “ –trum “.

   

  English “metre “ comes from Greek “μετρον , metron “ that says “ measure “, both as the instrument and as the result of using it . Oddly, we do not find for “ to measure “ a Greek verb with a root without the R , only “ μετρεω metreo“. And in Latin lacks a noun that would be “metrum “, but there are the verbs “ met-are ( active form )“ and “met-ari ( passive form )“, as well as “ metiri “, that all bear the meaning of “ to measure “.

   

  Upon analysing this information, one may conclude that the R in the various nouns may be compared with the typical R in Germanic ( English, German, Dutch etcetera ), that when added to a verbal root or form, mostly with an E for the pronunciation, indicates an instrument or person who realizes the action which the verb describes .

   

  To say it with reference to Dutch, we see : “meten“ = “ to measure “, "meter” = “instrument for measuring”, "meter” = “he who measures” .

   

  And then we find help from Old Indian or Sanskrit , that has the verb “ mâti “ for “ to measure “ and the noun “ mâtram “ for “ measure . One may conclude that these forms have no relation with the suffix ter “ as found in English “daughter” Of course Greek “–ον“, Latin “ –um “ and Old Indian “ –am “ are sister-suffixes for the shaping of nouns .

   

  We refer to the here attached number Hebrew 0569 (E 0576) , where Hebrew and Indo-European cognates for the concept of “ to measure “ are mentioned .

For cognates of “ aratrum “ we may refer to Similarities     Hebrew 0057 ar’à      E 0282

                                                                                                  Hebrew 0059 ara       E 0043

                                                                                                  Hebrew 0068 arets    E 0283

                                                                                                  Hebrew 0675 nayar   E 0044