Proto-North Caucasian: *mä(r)ƛ̣_wɨ̆
Meaning: ice
Notes: The EC-WC comparison was proposed by Trubetzkoy. Dissimilatory delabialisation after an initial labial is normal in PWC, as well as the palatalized reflex *Ĺ (since non-palatalized *L is not reconstructed). A minor phonetic problem is, however, the preservation of nasal *m- in PWC (a non-nasal *P- would be expected before the following -r-resonant). It is not excluded, however, that *-r- in the PL form *merƛ̣:ʷ is secondary (duplicating the -r- of the oblique stem *meƛ̣:ʷV-rV- > *merƛ̣:ʷV-rV-, cf. modern obl. stems like Ag. merk:ur-a-, Bursh. mirk:-ri-, Rut. mɨkɨrɨ-, Kryz. mɨkɨr-). In that case *mäƛ̣_wɨ̆ should be reconstructed for PEC, and the PWC correspondence would be wholly regular.
See Trubetzkoy 1922, 241, 243; 1930, 276; Abdokov 1983, 97.
