PROTO: *c̣_wĕnhV ( ~ *c̣_ĕmhV)
MEANING: salt
COMMENT: The original form is probably *c̣_ĕmhV (the WC form shows no trace of labialisation), but most EC languages reflect a form with shifted labialisation. The PN form *tuχe is interesting: it may be related here only if we assume the suffixed nature of *-χe (which is semantically not clear); but in any case the development *tuχe < *cwVn-χV within PN is proved by an early Ossetian loan: cäχχ / cänχä 'salt'.
The EC forms had been compared by several authors with PWC *ǯ́ǝ (/*č́ǝ) 'salt' (see Mészáros 1934, 287, Klimov 1969, 292, Abdokov 1983, 104); this is, however, not plausible for phonetic reasons, and the comparison with PWC *ć̣ǝ 'salty' seems preferable.
