Hungarian Historical Phonology levél

levél 'leaf'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

[coming]

Important dialectal forms

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Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

? Pre-Hungarian *läpä- or *läwä-

(Disputed:)

UEW: PUg *lȣ̈pɜ (lepɜ) 'leaf, sheet; Blatt'

WOT: *lepə

Status of the Ugric etymology

Improbable (phonologically irregular)

Loan etymology

None suggested

Possible substrate loans (new suggestion)

Cognates suggested in earlier research

Khanty: East (V) ḷi̮wət, South (DN) lipət, North (O) lipət 'Blatt'

Mansi: South (TJ) laptā, East (KU) loptə, West (P) luptə, North (So) lūpta 'Blatt'

Commentary

Although the etymology is considered convincing by most sources (including WOT), the Ugric etymology is completely irregular, and no common proto-form can be reconstructed (also no Proto-Ob-Ugric form can be reoncstructed). If the words in Hu, Kh and Ms are related, we might be dealing with a substrate word borrowed separately into the three languages.

Conclusion

The Ugric etymology should be rejected.

References

EWUng

UEW: Proto-Ugric Uralonet

WOT: 1312: PUg