μολύνωmolynō
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Root
-mara
to be smeared or daubed; to plaster, to coat a surface with mud or dung
Greek molyno traces to Shona mara, to smear, to daub
- Confidence
- 62/100
- Root language
- Shona
- Descent begins
- μολύνωGreek
The consensus position
Mainstream comparative linguistics treats μολύνω as a Greek denominative verb in -ύνω, conventionally connected by Frisk and Chantraine to the Proto-Indo-European root *mel- "dark, soiled", with Beekes arguing instead for Pre-Greek substrate origin on account of the irregular -ολυ- vocalism. No relationship to Bantu is recognised or proposed.
The working behind this.
The full descent — 7 links from the attested form down to the root — the segment-by-segment correspondences, the phonological breakdown and the case for the derivation are behind an account.
An account opens 10 entries in full, free.
Elsewhere in the corpus
- Pelagiaparato spread out, to lay out flat, to clear a surface level
- Kérberoskerekato be smeared, streaked, marked with dirt; causative kerekedza, to streak or daub
- ἀποκτείνω-tekanato be cut off, be broken off, be severed, to snap
- μάχαιραmhakamatter, case, dispute, cause of quarrel; fault, blame, the grounds on which one is answerable
- βλασφημία-bvato come out, to issue forth; in the derived bvuma, to give voice, to assent
- Theosmutsakindness, favour, mercy