*dVwr- - a kind of enclosure (EDA II)

In various Semitic languages, PS *dwr ‘to go round’ acquired the meaning ‘to stay permanently in one place, to dwelľ. A variant root *dhr is attested in some WS languages.

An early WS loanword in Akkadian is not to be excluded.

See also dūrāniš ‘over the walľ (AHw. 177, CAD D 190). The underlying semantic development is, most probably, from ‘what surrounds, encircles’ (Marrassini 1971, 49f.). A derivation from the secondary meaning ‘to dwell (’(walled) dwelling space’) is not to be ruled out completely (if accepted, at least some of the WS nominal derivations with the meaning “dwelling” listed here may be directly related to Akk. dūru). Still another semantic derivation, discussed in Buck 1949, 473 for Germanic words for “wall” (Gothic -waddjus, German Wand), is from “to turn, to plait” as referring to a wall of wattle-work.

dyr ‘(part of) building/construction’ (DNWSI 247)

dyr ‘shed’, dyrh ‘courtyard’ (DJPA 148).

dyr ‘shed, sheepfold’ (DCPA 87), drˀ ‘courtyard’ (DCPA 93)

dīrā ‘shed for animals’, dyrˀ ‘dwelling place’, dērtā ‘dwelling’ (DJBA 336).

dayrā ‘residence; fold; convent’ (LSyr. 147)

Yemeni Arabic dōr ‘hem, enclosing wall of a single house’ (Behnstedt 394, GD 879, Piamenta 160), dayr ‘village; house’ (Behnstedt 399, Piamenta 160).

Perhaps related.

Cf. Marrassini 1971, 48.