Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/želězo

Common Balto-Slavic, with no clear cognates in other Indo-European branches, and thus related to Lithuanian geležìs, Latvian dzèlzs and Old Prussian gelso. The discrepancy of root vocalism between Slavic and Baltic is unexplainable and requires two different Proto-Balto-Slavic reconstructions, with short -*e- and long -*ē-. Thus, no common form can be reconstructed.

Latvian and Old Prussian have syncopated the suffixal -e-. Has been connected with Ancient Greek χαλκός (khalkós, “ore, copper, bronze”), but the connection cannot be established in terms of regular phonetic correspondences. However, both could be independent loanwords from a common eastern source, whence also possibly Hittite [script needed] ((ḫ)apalki, “iron”).

Possibly related to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *qhleks (“(cast) iron”), though the direction and exact details of the borrowing are obscure.

*želě̀zo n [1]

1. iron

• “geležis” in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė
• Vasmer (Fasmer), Max (Maks) (1964–1973), “железо”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ russkovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), translated from German and supplemented by Trubačóv Oleg, Moscow: Progress
• Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., editors (1997) Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 379