pelə-

I. pelə-¹

To fill; with derivatives referring to abundance and multitude. Oldest form *pelə₁-; variant *pleə₁-, contracted to *plē-.

Derivatives include fill, plenty, folk, accomplish, expletive, and plebeian.

I. Zero-grade form *pl̥ə-.

1. Suffixed form *pl̥ə-no-. full¹, from Old English full, full, from Germanic *fulnaz, *fullaz, full.

2. fill, from Old English fyllan, to fill (from Germanic derivative verb *fulljan, to fill), and fyllu, full amount (from Germanic abstract noun *full-īnō-, fullness).

3. plenary, plenitude, plenty, plenum; plenipotentiary, replenish, terreplein, from Latin plēnus, full, from Latin stem *plēno-, replacing *plāno- (influenced by Latin verb plēre, to fill; see

V. 1. below).

4. Suffixed form *pl̥ə-go-.

a. folk, from Old English folc, people;

b. Herrenvolk, volkslied, from Old High German folc, people. Both a and b from Germanic *folkam.

II. Suffixed form *p(e)lə-u-.

1. Obscure comparative form. più, plural, plus; nonplus, pluperfect, surplus, from Latin plūs, more (Archaic Latin plous). See also IV. 5. below.

2. O-grade form *pol(ə)-u-. poly-; hoi polloi, from Greek polus, much, many.

3. Possibly from this root (but probably rather from pel-¹) is Latin palūs, marsh (? < “inundated”): paludal.

III. Suffixed form *p(e)lə-o-. Latin compound manipulus (see man-²).

IV. Variant form *plē-.

1. accomplish, complete, compliment, comply, deplete, expletive, implement, replete, supply, from Latin plēre, to fill.

2. Possibly suffixed form *plē-dhw-. plebe, plebeian, plebs; plebiscite, from Latin plēbs, plēbēs, the people, multitude.

3. Suffixed form *plē-dhwo-. plethora; plethysmograph, from Greek derivative verb plēthein, to be full.

4. Suffixed adjective (positive) form *plē-ro-. plerocercoid, from Greek plērēs, full.

5. Suffixed (comparative) form *plē-i(s)on-. pleo-, pleonasm; pleiotaxy, pleiotropism, Pliocene, from Greek pleōn, pleiōn, more.

6. Suffixed (superlative) form *plē-isto-. Pleistocene, from Greek pleistos, most.

V. Possibly Sanskrit pūraḥ, cake (< “that which fills or satisfies”): poori.

 

[Pokorny 1. pel- 798.]

  II. pelə-²

Flat; to spread. Oldest form *pelə₂-; variant *pleə₂-, colored to *plaə₂-, contracted to *plā-.

Derivatives include field, planet, plasma, plastic, and polka.

1. Suffixed form *pel(ə)-tu-. field, from Old English feld, open field, from Germanic *felthuz, flat land.

2. Suffixed form *pel(ə)-t-es- (by-form of *pel(ə)-tu-).

a. feldspar, from Old High German feld, field;

b. veldt, from Middle Dutch veld, velt, field. Both a and b from Germanic *feltha-, flat land.

3. Variant form *plā-.

a. Suffixed form *plā-ru-. floor, from Old English flōr, floor, from Germanic *flōruz, floor;

b. suffixed form *plā-no-. llano, piano², plain, planarian, plane¹, plane², plane³, planish, plano-, planula; esplanade, explain, pianoforte, from Latin plānus, flat, level, even, plain, clear.

4. Suffixed zero-grade form *pl̥ə-mā-. palm¹, palm², palmary, from Latin palma (< *palama), palm of the hand.

5. Possibly extended variant form *plan-.

a. planet; aplanatic, from Greek planāsthai, to wander (< “to spread out”);

b. perhaps Germanic *flan-. flâneur, from French flâner, to walk the streets idly, from a source akin to Old Norse flana, to wander aimlessly.

6. Suffixed zero-grade form *plə-dh-. -plasia, plasma, -plast, plaster, plastic, plastid, -plasty; dysplasia, metaplasm, toxoplasma, from Greek plassein (< *plath-yein), to mold, “spread out.”

7. O-grade form *polə-.

a. polynya, from Russian polyĭ, open;

b. Polack, polka, from Slavic polje, broad flat land, field.

 

[Pokorny pelə- 805.] See also extensions plāk-¹ and plat-.

  III. pelə-³

Citadel, fortified high place. Oldest form perhaps *pelə₃- (but exact laryngeal uncertain). Zero-grade form *pl̥ə-. police, policy¹, polis, politic, polity; acropolis, cosmopolis, cosmopolite, megalopolis, metropolis, necropolis, policlinic, propolis, from Greek polis, city (phonological development unclear).

 

[In Pokorny 1. pel- 798.]

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