Bear, a Magdalenian test case

Bear, a Magdalenian test case (1 of 3)

English bear German Bär Dutch beer is explained
via two alternative PIE etymologies, namely as the
brown one, from *bher- 'brown', and as the wild one,
from *ghwer. Neither etymology convinces me.
How many brown and wild animals are there?
Relying on my Magdalenian dictionary I propose
BIR meaning fur (ancient Greek byrsa), especially
the fur wherupon a newborn was laid, as origin of
a plethora of words. When a fur keeps a newborn
warm, a bag made of a hide can also be used
to carry a baby around: bear a child. Via analogy
this verb is also used for a pregnant woman
bearing a child in her womb. Between the two ways
of bearing a child, inside and outside of the body,
occurs the event called birth, giving birth, and the
child is born, a newborn. Most furs are brown,
hence BIR is also the origin of PIE *bher- 'brown'.
The bear provides the best fur, longhaired, soft
and warm, hence bear Bär beer (while the actual
name of the cave bear was ARC, referring to the
animal's extraordinary strength, surviving in Greek
arktos and Latin ursus). Judging by its name also
the boar, Latin aper German Eber, provided a
fairly good fur. Also the hare, whose name might
be a further derivative of BIR, as hair German Haar.

(to be continued)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Greek Psi
    ... BIR means fur, especially the fur on which a newborn was laid ... he will name it a bear ... ... for the PIE explanation of bear as the brown one, which, in my ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Greek Psi
    ... BIR means fur, especially the fur on which a newborn was laid ... he will name it a bear ... ... for the PIE explanation of bear as the brown one, which, in my ... I can easily unite the six *bher- homonyms under BIR, ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Greek Psi
    ... BIR means fur, especially the fur on which a newborn was laid ... he will name it a bear ... ... for the PIE explanation of bear as the brown one, which, in my ... I can easily unite the six *bher- homonyms under BIR, ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Bear, a Magdalenian test case
    ... brown one, from *bher- 'brown', and as the wild one, ... BIR meaning fur, ... hence BIR is also the origin of PIE *bher- 'brown'. ... The bear provides the best fur, longhaired, soft ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Bear, a Magdalenian test case
    ... BIR meaning fur, ... hence BIR is also the origin of PIE *bher- 'brown'. ... The bear provides the best fur, longhaired, soft ... be a further derivative of BIR, as hair German Haar. ...
    (sci.lang)