esètrъ

esètrъ; esètra Grammatical information: m. o; f. ā Proto-Slavic meaning: `sturgeon'

Page in Trubačev: VI 30-31

Russian:

osëtr `sturgeon' [m o], osetrá [Gens];

osetër (dial.) `sturgeon' [m o]

Old Russian:

jesetrъ `sturgeon' [m o];

osetrъ `sturgeon' [m o]

Czech:

jeseter `sturgeon' [m o]

Slovak:

jeseter `sturgeon' [m o]

Polish:

jesiotr `sturgeon' [m o]

Old Polish:

jesiotr `sturgeon' [m o];

jasiotr `sturgeon' [m o]

Upper Sorbian:

jesetr (arch.), jasotr (arch.) `sturgeon' [m o]

Lower Sorbian:

jesotr `sturgeon' [m o]

Serbo-Croatian:

jèsetra `sturgeon' [f ā]

Slovene:

jesētǝr `sturgeon' [m o]

Bulgarian:

esétra `sturgeon' [f ā]

Lithuanian:

erškẽtas `sturgeon' [m o];

erškė́tras (dial.) `sturgeon' [m o] 1 \{1\}

Old Prussian:

esketres `sturgeon'

Page in Pokorny: 18

Comments: It seems highly plausible that *jesètra is cognate with *jesera `awn, fishbone', Lith. ešerỹs `perch' and that both etyma belong to PIE *h₂ḱ- `sharp', cf. Lat. acipēnser `sturgeon' < *h₂eḱu-. The Baltic forms are not without problems, however. Forms like erškẽtas and erškė́tras were probably influenced by erškė́tis `thorn' (though it must be admitted that a development erškẽtas < eškẽtras is plausible in itself, cf. Toporov II: 89), but it is clear that the original form contained a k , cf. OPr. esketres, which is absent in Lith. ešerỹs. This may be the familiar intrusive velar which in Baltic frequently arose before s or z. In that case we would have to depart from a Baltic protoform *ekśetras .

Notes:

\{1\} OLith. ešketras `whale' (Bretkūnas) is probably a Prussianism.