karel

Related to Tocharian B kerū, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- (“to do, make”), the source of many IE words meaning "cauldron", similar to the shape of a drum. Given the semantic shift from "making" > "vessel for making things in" > "thing shaped like that vessel", and that only the first meaning exists in PIE, it can be assumed that there was an unattested original form (perhaps in Proto-Tocharian) that meant "cauldron" or the like. Compare Proto-Germanic *hweraz, Old Irish coire, Russian чара (čara), Sanskrit चरु (caru, “bowl”), etc.

karel

1. (music) drum