Some Clarifications Concerning the Origin and Relatives of γῆ/γαῖα ‘earth’

The origin of γῆ ‘earth, land’ (extra-Attic-Ionic γᾶ) and its by-form γαῖα has been a crux of Greek etymology. Association with the theonym Δημήτηρ (: Δαμάτηρ) is unfruitful for want of good reason to suppose that δᾶ meant ‘earth’ (EDG: 295, 324). Since, moreover, γῆ is the normal word vis-à-vis γαῖα, there has been a similarly fruitless temptation to speculate that the latter is a poetic creation based on αἶα ‘earth, land’ (Schwyzer 1959: 473), whose preform presumably came to bear that meaning because of EARTH IS MOTHER (cf. Lat. avia ‘grandmother’). While this maternal conceptualization has conditioned Peters’ (1994) arguably correct identification of the PIE root, the path from that root must be clarified.

Peters argues that the preform of γάνος n. ‘brightness, sheen, joy, fluid refreshment’, ultimately connected with *√geh₂- (cf. *gāu- ‘rejoice’, IEW: 353), was the base of a devī́-stem *gh₂n̥s-ih₂- (> *gasi̯a- > *gahi̯a- > *gai̯i̯a- > γαῖα), used in reference to earth as the recipient of shimmering fluid (i.e. rain). Though the root-etymology is in general salvageable, the specific scenario cannot be saved given the costliness of its assumptions and incapacity to explain the form of γῆ itself. Its redeeming feature is the recognition that *√geh₂-, while basic to a variety of derivatives whose meanings relate to positive emotion (γηθέω ‘rejoice’, γαῦρος ‘proud’), meant something like ‘shine’ (γάνυμαι ‘brighten up’, γανόω ‘polish’).

In light of its derivational behavior, it is appropriate to interpret *√geh₂- ‘bright, clear’ as an “adjectival” root (Nussbaum 2022), basic to (1) a root noun *géh₂-/gh₂-´ ‘brightness’ (*gh₂-éh₁ d^heh₁- ‘brighten’ : *gh₂-d^hh₁-ó- ‘brightened, cheered up’ → *géh₂-d^hh₁-o/es- [γῆθος ‘joy’] : *géh₂(-)d^hh₁-e/o- [γήθω ‘rejoice’] : *geh₂(-)d^hh₁-éh₁i̯e/o- [γηθέω] : *geh₂(-)d^hh₁-sḱe/o- [TB kātk- ‘rejoice’, Hackstein 2002: 8]), (2) a u-stem *gó/éh₂-u- ‘id.’ (→ *gh₂ -ne-u̯- ‘brighten’, *geh₂-u̯-ó- ‘bright’ → *géh₂-u̯-i- ‘brightness’ : *géh₂-u̯-i-h₁ d^heh₁- ‘brighten’ : *geh₂-u̯-i-d^hh₁-ó- → *geh₂-u̯-i-d^hh₁-éh₁i̯e/o- > Lat. gaudeō ‘rejoice’), and (3), I propose, an i-stem *gó/éh₂-i- ‘id.’ (→ *geh₂-i-nó- ‘splendid’ [: OIr. gaíne ‘excellence’ < *gai̯nii̯ā- ‘splendor’; → *geh₂-í-t- ‘id.’ → *geh₂-i-t-ó- ‘bright’ > OIr. gáeth ‘intelligent’).

In terms of semantics, the most comparable datum is Proto-Slavic *gãjь ‘grove, small wood’ (Russ. gaj, SCr. gȃj, Pol. gaj), which appears to reflect a *géh₂-i̯-o- ‘clearing, clear space’ (cf. Lat. lūcus ‘grove’), interpretable as the derivative of a *geh₂-i̯-ó- ‘clear’ (cf. Ved. loká- ‘clear space, world’), possessively derived from *gó/éh₂-i- ‘clarity’. I propose that this i-stem was the base of a *géh₂-i̯-ih₂- ‘clear space’ (> *géh₂-ih₂ [for phonology, v. Nussbaum 2021: 400–401] > *gáHi̯əH > *gā́i̯a > *gā́a > *gā̑ > *gǣ̑ > γῆ), from whose oblique stem developed (e.g. loc. *géh₂-i-i̯eh₂-i ‘in clear space’), by analogy to *gā́i̯a (> γῆ), the by-form γαῖα (< *gái̯i̯a << *gái̯i̯ā- < *gáHii̯aH-; cf. paradigm split underlying PDE shade : shadow). This etymology, exemplifying the conception of the physical or earthly world as illuminated space, is multiply paralleled (OW elbid ‘world’ [: Lat. albus ‘white’], OCS světъ ‘light, world’, Lith. pasáulis ‘world’ [: sáulė ‘sun’]).