Proto-North Caucasian: *ś_wĭʔē ( ~ -ä-)
Meaning: a k. of cereal
Notes: Although not very widely represented in the EC area, the root is no doubt archaic. The PWC form has a frequent prefixed *p- (with usual labial dissimilation after it: *-š́ʷ- > *-š́-).
The Avar form, which is phonetically quite regular, but somewhat deviating semantically, may have been influenced by another root, whose traces are left in PN *ča 'straw' (Chech., Ing. ča, Bacb. ča-l) and possibly in Bud. čeʕ 'roasted grain'.
