Disputatio:Złoto

I heard it was also connected (derivated?) from a word that meant "sun" (in Polish: "słońce") Szwejk 08:34 nov 10, 2004 (UTC)

There may have been influence from the two words being somewhat similar (kind of like how Latin "blasphemare" became spanish "lastimar" based on influence from "aestimare"), but it isn't derived from the "sun" word directly—złoto is built on nearly the same formation as English gold. (The meaning of the ghel-root is sometimes given as "to shine", and indeed other English words based off it are "gleam" and "glitter" for example, but I don't know if it became "sun" in any language.) —Myces Tiberinus 14:14 nov 10, 2004 (UTC)

I found this information here: http://elements.vanderkrogt.net/elem/au.html

"Золото (zoloto) (Slavic branch) / The Slavic languages use different forms of золото, zlato. This word, used from the earliest times, is undoubtedly is connected with the earliest Indo-European Sol (sun)". But I can't say anything more. Szwejk 11:41 nov 11, 2004 (UTC)

A very useful site he has, which I refer to often—but besides the well-documented etymologies are several spurious ones; z from *s is not, I understand, a regular Slavic change, while z from *ǵh is — without better evidence it might be better to leave the etymology as it stands. —Myces Tiberinus 14:53 nov 11, 2004 (UTC)