karilaz (Proto-Germanic)
Where does "karilaz" come from?
The Proto-Germanic noun 'karilaz', meaning 'free man' or 'little man, young man', is formed as a diminutive of '*karaz'[1]. It is probably derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*ǵerh₂-', meaning 'to become old, to grow'[1]. This ancient root is also reflected in various cognates across the Indo-European language family, such as Ancient Greek 'γέρων', Sanskrit 'जरन्त', Old Armenian 'ծեր', Avestan '𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬴𐬀𐬥𐬙-', Tocharian A and B 'kwär-', and Hittite 'karu'[1].
Open questions
- The derivation from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning to grow old is considered probable rather than certain. [1]
Full etymology tree
- *karilaz (Proto-Germanic), 'free man'
- derived *karaz (Proto-Germanic)
- derived *ǵerh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to grow old, to mature'
- suffix *-ilaz (Proto-Germanic), 'forms nouns of diminutive connotation'
- derived *karaz (Proto-Germanic)
Ancestors
- *ǵerh₂- (Proto-Indo-European)
Cognates and doublets
- γέρων (Ancient Greek)
- ծեր (Old Armenian)
- kwär- (Tocharian A)
- kwär- (Tocharian B)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris