A. Papadimitriou
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That related words though, often don't mean 'copper' or 'bronze', therefore the reconstructed meaning should be 'metal'.That's all good but it seems that words for copper exists in PIE and later bronze,that was the point.The word "copper" however is not shared by IE speakers,Latin is "aenus" for copper and bronze.
In Greek there is also a word ασήμι ('silver'). Compare Kurdish asin / hesin (“iron”) and Middle Persian asēm, (“silver”).
They don't include the Greek word in the words which are said that derive from *h₂éyos / *áyos
But if a relationship really exists, in Greek there are data that point to an original meaning 'raw metal' (literally 'formless')
There isn't a widely spread word that means 'bronze'. Some expansions were before the Bronze Age, imo but then I don't know how the words that derived from h2erg and mean silver are explained. Words that derive from h2erg and also mean 'silver'* exist in Celtic, Italic (attested in many dialects), Greek and Indo-Iranian. Also in Armenian, but in Armenian at least some say the word is a loan as far as I understand.
*Though in some languages that is less clear. For example in Sanskrit the word arjuna also meant gold. It also has meanings like 'clear' or 'shape'.
I think it could be supported that the word originally referred to processed metals in general.