A Morphological Parallel for the Etymology of Artemis

This paper proposes a novel internal reconstruction for the ancient Greek deity name Artemis (and its derivative, Artemisia) by establishing a structural and morphological parallel with Latin nominal formations, specifically the gens name Cornelius. While orthodox etymology often separates Artemis from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) bear root *h₂ŕ̥tḱos due to phonetic discontinuities, we demonstrate that an intermediate Proto-Greek form *Arktomeos—constructed via an O-grade thematic vowel and the PIE contrastive/appurtenant suffix *-m̥mo-—creates a highly unstable consonant cluster (*-ktm-). The natural phonetic resolution of this cluster via velar plosive deletion provides a structurally elegant, grammatically justified pathway to historical Greek Artemis, aligning perfectly with the known totemic "bear clan" ritual traditions of the goddess.