Problemi posti dalla base italoromanza *balenin baleno (balenare) – balena – arcobaleno

Abstract

This research has as its starting point various hypotheses regarding the Italian word for ‘rainbow’, arcobaleno, usually related to baleno (flash) and balena (whale), as in the studies of Alessio, Bambeck, Rohlfs and Frau. An attempt is made to resolve the conundrum of the origin of three formally related Italian lexemes, which are semantically unrelated, i.e. baleno -are (flash), balena (whale) and arcobaleno (rainbow), in terms of three etymologically distinct bases. The study starts obviously with Latin and the Romance languages and dialects (especially the Italian dialects), without ignoring equivalent terminology in related Western Indo-European languages (Greek, Celtic, Germanic). Various theories involving the origin of the lexical items documented in the three bases are explored. After discussion conclusions are reached in the form of three hypotheses: (1) baleno –are is of Germanic origin, (2) the ‘whale’ lexeme is Massaliotic Greek influenced by some external unknown form, (3) the arco in arcobaleno is the Romance derivate of a Latin outcome arcus of a Proto-Indo-European *h_aerk^w- ‘sky’ base (= the sky-god, Jove, in other words the Sun). Possible solutions to other etymological problems are also touched on.