ᴹQ. tuo n. “muscle, sinew; vigour, physical strength” (Category: Strong, Mighty, Powerful)
A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “muscle, sinew; vigour, physical strength” derived from primitive ᴹ✶tūgu under the root ᴹ√TUG (Ety/TUG). This root also had an adjective ᴹQ. tunga “taut, tight; resonant (of strings)”, clearly referring to the use of sinew in making stringed instruments. Thus I think tuo likely refers mainly to “muscle, sinew”, and only metaphorically to “vigour, physical strength”, as in: tana Elda same tuo “that Elf has muscle = has physical strength”.
Reference ✧ Ety/TUG ✧ “muscle, sinew; vigour, physical strength”
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶tūgu > tuo | [tūgu] > [tūgo] > [tūɣo] > [tuo] | ✧ Ety/TUG |