Proto-North Caucasian: *ħwǟls_ǝ̆
Meaning: a coniferous tree; wood, stick
Notes: The WC form has a frequent labial prefix *p-. Both phonetically and semantically the comparison seems quite plausible. [There are some problems with the initial laryngeal: in Lak. we should expect ʔI-, and in Av. - paradigm A, not B. We must note, however, that Av. Chad. /the literary accentuation is not attested/ frequently has a secondary B paradigm instead of A.]
Medial *-l-, although not preserved in any language, must be reconstructed to account for the PTs nasalisation and the PN development *-ls- > -st-.
See also comments to *ʔɨ̄rcV̆ 'wood, stick'.
