Indo-European word origins in proto-Indo-European (PIE) language
Indo-European = language group
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- 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
- proto = "early" or "before"
- 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
- Hindi arose in the northern part of India along the Ganges River
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] |
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| 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] |
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| 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
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
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)
|
cheval (horse)
|
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] |
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| 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
|
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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