THE FORMATION OF NOUNS I4I taras) — Gk. aa-nrjp is formed with this masculine suffix ; the word has become so reduced that in the latter form only the suffix is left. The suffix -tar is the* only one of the f -suffixes that has be- come prolific in the formation of agent nouns. But both the simple r-suffix and the various compound suffixes which have been enumerated were capable of being used in this way and a small number of examples have survived. An example with the simple r-suffix is seen in ndr - 4 man, warrior ' (Gk. avrjp, Umbrian ner-, etc.).' A corresponding neuter *&ner is deduced from certain derivatives (Gk. 7 )vop€rj,
- irrjVO)p ] etc.).
The suffix -var is so used in catv&ras masc. pi. * four The corresponding neuter *catvar 4 square ' is not preserved, but there is a thematic extension of it in caivara- nt. f quadrangle, cross-roads Another example is devdr - 4 husband’s brother cf. Gk. har}p (for SacF^p), Lat. levir, etc. There is no example of such a formation with the wtfr-sufhx, but it will be noted below that karmara- 4 smith ' implies an earlier karm&(r). The suffix -sar appears in this class in the word svasar- ' sister" (sua- 4 one’s own’) with retracted accent, and in the numerals ti$ra$, cdtasras 4 three, four ' (fern.). Here the accusa- tive form has come to be used for the nominative ; the old nominatives *tisores f k w ete$ores are represented in Celtic (0. Ir. teoir , cetheoir). Lat. uxor 4 wife ’ is a noun of this class, being based on an r-ex tension of the s-stem which appears in Skt. ckas- nt. 4 home There seems to have been a tendency for this suffix, when used adjectivally, to be specialised in the formation of feminine nouns, and with the above we may compare the thematic derivative in Hittite ishassaras 4 lady ' (ishas 1 lord '). Similarly agent nouns and adjectives are formed with the accented n-suffixes, related in the same way to the neuter n-stems : tdksan - 4 carpenter ’ (: Hitt, taksan nt. 4 joining ’), raj an - 1 king ' (: rdjani nt. 4 under the guidance of alternating r- stem in Av. rdzar- nt.), pratidivan- 4 opponent at play vtbhvan-, vibhvan- 4 powerful There are a few old masculines of this formation no longer referable to verbal roots, yuvan - 4 young man 4 (cf. Lat. iuvenis , etc. ; yo-s-it 4 young woman, woman ’), svdn- 4 dog ’ (Gk. kvwv), Examples from other lan- guages are Av. spasan - 4 scout, spy vindan- 4 one who ac- quires Gk. 7T€vdTjv 4 spy dpyywv 4 helper Lat. edd 4 one
