Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/d-bu-s

This Proto-Sino-Tibetan entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Sino-Tibetan

Etymology

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *dbuɣ (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *d-bu-s (Matisoff, STEDT); *(d-)bu (Chou, 1972); *(d-)bu (*B) (Coblin, 1986); *-u (LaPolla, 1987)

Noun

*d-bu-s

1. head

Descendants

• Old Chinese: uncertain, perhaps 頭／头
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: དབུ (dbu, “head”)
  • Kiranti

    /*ʔpu/ ("head") (Opgenort, 2011)

• Jingpho-Asakian
  • Jingpho
    • Jingpho [Kachin]: u baw (“head”)
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese

    /*ʔu²/ (Matisoff, 2003)

    • Burmish
      • Written Burmese: ဦး (u:, “head”)
    • Loloish

      /*u²/ (Bradley, 1979)

      • Northern Loloish
        • Yi (Liangshan): ꀑ (o, “head (literary); tip, peak”), also ꀍ (uo) in compounds
      • Central Loloish
        • Lisu (Southern): ꓪꓴꓸ (wú, “head, top, beginning”)

See also

• *m/s-gaw (“head”)
• *s-muːr (“mouth, lip, face”)
• *s-mjal (“face”)