Indo-European word origins in proto-Indo-European (PIE) language

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

Indo-European = language group

Indo-European Language Family Branches in Eurasia.png
Indo-European Language Family Branches in Eurasia
File:Family tree of the indo-european languages (English).jpg
  • the principle language group or family across Europe and northwest, central and south Asia
    • = dominant languages of Europe, Russia, Iran, India, and Armenia (eastern Turkey/northern Iraq)
    • the only European languages that are not Indo-European are Basque (northern Spain and an indigenous language), Hungarian, and Finnish and Estonian (Uralic language group)
  • Proto-Indo-European = the original language from which the language group is derived
    • abbreviated as "PIE"

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Article purpose:

  • to identify common origins of Indo-European languages and language groups
  • to recognize the commonality of these words through sound changes
  • to help English-speaking students of European languages to recognize how those words are similar to English words, and, thus, enhance the foreign language vocabulary
  • todo: create pages for Indo-European language, history of English


See also

Proto-Indo-European word roots[edit | edit source]

  • Proto-Indo-European (PIE)
    • proto = "early" or "before"
      • thus "prototype" = an example of something before making the real thing
    • Indo-European = a major language group that originated in central Eurasia and spread across south and southeast Asia and Europe and formed the basis of many modern languages
    • word roots = "morphemes" that form a basic sound from which words are built
  • PIE word roots
    • consist of a single vowel and one or more consonants
    • these roots form the core sound of a word
      • they are not important to know, but it is important to know that PIE morphemes changed as the language spread
    • cognate = a shift in the sound of a word that forms a different pronunciation and spelling of a word from that of the origin language

Discovery of PIE language group[edit | edit source]

  • Sir William Jones, a British colonial judge in India in late 18th century
    • noticed similarities between Sanskrit and European languages
    • he found common word origins in Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, and Persian

click EXPAND to read from Jone's 1786 presentation on the "common source" of Sanskrit, Latin and Greek

The Sanscrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps, no longer exists; there is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Gothic and the Celtic, though blended with a very different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanscrit; and the old Persian might be added to the same family.
  • from Jone's "Third Anniversary Discourse to the Asiatic Society" (1786)
  • Sanskrit
    • = the sacred language of Hinduism
    • Sanskrit is largely a written language
    • the dominant modern language of India is called "Hindi"
  • Hindi
    • Hindi arose in the northern part of India along the Ganges River
      • called the "Gangetic Plain"
    • = fourth most-spoken language in the world
    • India has 22 recognized national languages
    • Hindi is the "official" language in the sense that it is the language of the Indian government
    • there are many regional dialects and other languages across India


PIE grammar[edit | edit source]

verbs[edit | edit source]

  • all descendent PIE languages follow common verb forms from the PIE
    • native English-speaker students frequently learn verb forms while studying a foreign language
    • see for these verb forms


Common Indo-European words & their PIE origins[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
Notes on languages: = the combination of Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, French, Latin & Greek words Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) origins, prior to Old Norse (Viking) and French (Normans) invasions & influences Language of Ancient Rome, thus "Romance languages" are derived from it (French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian) Note that some words come to Modern English from PIE via Old English and others via Latin and Greek Romance / Latin-based Romance / Latin-based from the Germanic language group, not-heavily influenced by Latin * note: Sanskrit is the formal language from which Hindi, the most common language of India comes from

Family, Kinship, Rulers[edit | edit source]

*méH₂tēr- mother (t > th) modor mater maternal, maternity, matrix, matter, material madre mère mutter mā́tṛ, mātṛ́
*pH₂tér- father (p > f, t > th) faeder pater paternal, patriarch, patrician, patriotic, patronage, patronize, expatriate, repatriate padre père vater pitṛ́
*ǵenh- (give birth, beget) gender (classification, male/female) generare (give birth, beget) genus (from Greek "genos") cognate, congenial, congenital, degenerate, engender, engine, gender, general, genes, genesis, genealogy,

genitals, genius, genocide, genre, gentle, germ, germinate, homogenous, pregnant, progeny

genre género Geschlecht
*genh- (to bear) sibling slbling ("sibb" for kinship, love) germanus (= connected, relevant) germane, humane, urban, urbane frere (for sibling, brother) hermano, hermana geschwister
*bʰréH₂ter- brother bropor frater fraternal, fraternity, fratricide hermano frere bruder bʰrā́tṛ
*swésor- sister systir or sweostor soror sis, sissy, sisterhood, sisterly, sorority hermana soeur schwester svásṛ
*suHnú-

I *su(e)-nu

son sunu filius affiliate, affiliation, few, foal fils hijo sohn sūnú
*pau (little) boy impoverish, pedagogue, pederast, pedophilia, pony, poor, poultry, poverty, puerile, pupil, puppet, pusillanimous
*dʰugH₂-tér- daughter dhuter filia from Latin filia:

affiliated, affiliation,

hija fille tochter dúhitṛ
*meryo-, *mari-, *mori- (young man/wife),

*(s)newdʰ-e-ti-s (to cover) and

wedʰ- (to pledge, to bind)

marry, marriage

nuptials

and

Wed/ wedding

weddian (and weddung (wedding)

Note: "to marry" has Old French origins and not Old English)

maritare (from "maritus" for husband)

nūptiālis

marriage, married, marry

nuptials, connubial, nubile, postnuptial, prenuptial

casarse

(related to "casa" for house)

se marier proto-Germanic: wadja;

modern German:

hochzeit

vadhū́ for "bride"

marya (for young suitor, i.e, young man who wants to marry)

*domo- or *domu house hus (for dwellng or shelter) domus hide, housing

domestic, domesticate

casa maison

(related to "mansion")

haus damas
*H₂ner- "man, hero"

*wiH-ro- ("man")

man wer ner, vir hero, heroine, heroism

from vir: viral, virtue, virtuous, virtually, virtuoso, werewolf

from "hom" = homage, homicide, hominid,

from "man": command, demand, emanant, manage, mandate, mandatory, manicure, manor, manufacture, permanent, recommend

hombre homme mann vira
*no-men- 'name" name nomen acronym; allonym; ananym; anonymous; antonym; binomial; cognomen; denominate; eponym; eponymous; heteronym; homonym; homonymous; hyponymy; ignominious; ignominy; Jerome; matronymic; metonymy; metronymic; misnomer; moniker; nomenclature; nominal; nominate; noun; onomastic; onomatopoeia; paronomasia; paronym; patronym; patronymic; praenomen; pronoun; pseudonym; renown; synonym; synonymy; synonymous; toponym nombre nom
*h₃rḗǵs (ruler) king

ruler, rich

(see peku under Animals for wealth)

cynig, ric rex,ndives (wealthy) kingly, regal, regicide, reign, rich, rule rey, rico roi, riche reich, konig raj, raja
*dyeu-(sky father) god Latin: Iu-peter (Jupiter)

dies (day)

Greek: Zeu-pater (Zeus)

delos (clear)

adieu, adios, adjourn, deify, deism, deity, dial, diary, diet, dismal, divine, journal, journalist, jovial, per diem, sojourn deva/ dyaus pitar

Pronouns[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
egH₂ "I"
H₁me-
tu "you"
*wei "we"; *n̥s-mé, encl. *nos "us"
*kʷid, kʷod "what"
*kʷis, kʷos, kʷei/kʷoi "who"

Numbers[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
*sem- one semen, seminal,
*dwóH₁ , neut. *dwóy(H₁) two
*tréyes (fem. *tisres,[63] neut. *tríH₂) three
*kʷetwóres (fem. *kʷétesres, neut. *kʷetwṓr) four quart, quarter, cuatro quart
*pénkʷe five
*swék̂s six
*septḿ̥ seven
H₁ok̂tō(u) eight octopus
*(H₁)néwn̥ nine
*dék̂m̥t ten decimal
*k̂m̥tóm hundred cent (as in 1/100th), centennial, century

Body Parts[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
*kerd- (heart) heart heorte cor, cordis, credo (belief) accord, core, cordial, courage, discord, record

from credo, credible


heart, hearten, heartbreak, heartburn, heartless,

expressions from "heart" include "bleeding heart," "learn by heart," "heart-felt," "heart-shaped," "heart to heart", "heart-warming," "heart in the right place", "eat your heart out"

corazón coeur herzen hrd, hrdaya, hardi
"ped=" (soil, ground) foot (pl. feet) fot ped foot: afoot, barefoot, flat-footed, foot (a measurement), football, footing foothold, footnote

ped (Latin): : biped, centipede, expedite, expedition, impede, impediment, pedal, pedestrian, pedicure,

pod (Greek): antipode, cephalopod, ornithopod; also: impair, impeach, octopus, Oedipus, pajamas, pawn, pejorative, peon, pessimism, pilot, pioneer, podiatry, trapezoid, tripod, trivet, vamp

pie pied Fuß (pronounced "foos") pad/ padam
*káput ~ *kap-wét-s "head
*dn̥ĝʰuH₂-, *dn̥ĝʰwéH₂ "tongue"
h₂ows- (“ear”) ear, hear ēare (ear)

hīeran (hear)

auris Ohr
ĝ(o)nH₂dʰos "jaw, cheek, chin"
*ĝénu, ĝnéus "knee
*H₁dónt-, *H₁dn̥t- "tooth"
*H₃okʷ- "eye"
*k̂erd- "heart"; *k̂red-dʰē- "to believe"
*nas- "nose"

Animals[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
ane

(to breath)

animal

spirit

animale

- living, breathing

anemo-, anemometer, anima, animal, animalistic, animate, animation, animosity, animus, equanimity, longanimity, mangnanimous, pusillanimous, unanimous
*ék̂wos ("horse", "fast animal") horse hors (from proto-Germanic "harss" equus equine, equestrian


Note that the PIE root "kers-" may also be a root for "horse," as "kers" leads to words for "to run" such as the Latin "currere; the "k" sound may have shifted to "h" leading to "horse".

Whatever that connection, we get words from "kers-" that are associated with movement, including:


car, career, cargo, carriage, carry, cavalier, charge, chariot, concourse, course, corral, current, cursive, cursor, discourse, excursion, incur, intercourse, occur, precursor, recur

"Hippopotamus" comes from Greek for horse, "hippo" as in "river horse"

caballo (horse)


correr (to run)

cheval (horse)


courir (to run)

pferd (horse) asva (horse)
*gʷōus "cattle"[i][10
*H₂ówi- "sheep "
*k̂won- (hound, dog) dog canine
péḱu (livestock) property pecu pecuniary,
*wl̥kʷos "wolf"

Food[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
*médʰu "honey", "mead"
*tuh₂-ró-s "cheese"[1
*séh₂ls "salt"
*péḱu "livestock" or "cattle" wealth

(as from possessing cattle)

eoh, fioh, feo, (fee) pecū fee, money, pecuniary, pacu

Other[edit | edit source]

PROTO-INDO-EUREOPEAN (PIE) MODERN ENGLISH OLD ENGLISH LATIN / GREEK RELATED ENGLISH WORDS SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN SANSKRIT
*ag- "to drive, draw out, move" act, action Old Norse: aka "to drive"

Middle Irish: ag for "battle"

Latin: actus (doing), agere ("to set in motion")

Greek: agein ("to lead, guide, carry off"), agon (assembly) or agōgos (leader)

act; action; active; actor; actual; actuary; actuate; agency; agenda; agent; agile; agitation; agony; ambagious; ambassador; ambiguous; anagogical; antagonize; apagoge; assay; axiom; cache; castigate; coagulate; cogent; cogitation; counteract; demagogue; embassy; essay; exact; exacta; examine; exigency; exiguous; fumigation; interact; intransigent; litigate; litigation; mitigate; mystagogue; navigate; objurgate; pedagogue; prodigal; protagonist; purge; react; redact; retroactive; squat; strategy; synagogue; transact; transaction; variegate. ajati
*apo- "away, off"
*es- "to be" is eom Latin: est

Greek: esti

absence, absent, entity, essence, essential, Eucharist, eugenics, eulogy, euphemism, euphoria , euthanasia, improve, interest, is estar etre ist asmi
*klei- "to lean" climate

(from geographic zones in distance from the equator, thus marking different temperatures, etc.)

Latin clinare "to lean, bend"

Greek klinein "to cause to slope, slant, incline"

and klima "region, zone"

acclivity; anticline; clemency; client; climate; climax; cline; clinic; clinical; clino-; clitellum; clitoris; decline; declivity; enclitic; heteroclite; incline; ladder; lean (v.; lid; low (n) "small hill, eminence;" matroclinous; patroclinous; polyclinic; proclitic; proclivity; recline; synclinal; thermocline Old French climat for "region, part of the earth" srayati ("leans")
mregh-u- "short" short brevis

Greek: brakhys

abbreviate; abbreviation; abridge; amphibrach; brace; bracelet; brachio-; brachiopod; brachiosaurus; brachy-; brassiere; breviary; brevity; brief; brumal; brume; embrace; merry; mirth; pretzel; vambrace.
*nem- "assign, allot; take"

and

*wendh- "to turn, wind, weave"

nomad

wind (verb)

wandrian (v) to wander, roam


simbelfarende (adj) for "roving, nomadic, wandering"

nomas

and related to numerus for "number" Greek: nomas for "roaming, wandering"

and nomos for "pasture, grazing" thus "land allotted"; related to nemein for "to deal out" and nemisis "just indignation"

agronomy; anomie; anomy; antinomian; antinomy; astronomer; astronomy; autonomous; autonomy; benumb; Deuteronomy; economy; enumerate; enumeration; gastronomy; heteronomy; innumerable; metronome; namaste; nemesis; nimble; nim; nomad; nomothetic; numb; number, numeracy; numeral; numerator; numerical; numerology; numerous; Numidia, Numidians, numismatic; supernumerary; taxonomy nomade
*pele- "to fill" fill accomplish; complement, complete; comply; depletion; expletive; fill; folk; full implement; manipulation; plebe; plebeian; plebiscite; pleiotropy; Pleistocene; plenary; plenitude; plenty; plenum; plenipotentiary; plethora; pluperfect; plural; pluri-; plus; poly-; polyandrous; polyethylene; polyglot; polygon; polygraph; polygyny; polyhedron; polymath; polymer; polymorphous; Polynesia; polyp; polysyllabic; polytheism; replenish; replete; supply; surplus
*pelə- "flat" or "to spread" airplane; ectoplasm; esplanade; explain; explanation; feldspar; field; floor; palm (n "flat of the hand") palm (n "tropical tree;") piano; pianoforte; plain; plan; planar; plane (n "flat surface") plane (n."tool for smoothing surfaces") plane (v. "soar, glide on motionless wings") planet; planisphere; plano-; plasma; plasmid; plasm; -plasm; -plast; plaster; plastic; plastid; -plasty; Polack; Poland; Pole; polka; protoplasm
*sta- "to stand" or "to make or be firm" stand statuere constitute, constituent, statue, statute
*we-dhro- "weather, storm" and

*we- "to blow"

weather wedar Latin tempestas for "weather" as well as "time" to weather (to endure); as well as weather-beaten, weathered, weather-vane wetter


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