Vocabulary is one of the best reconstructed parts of the Proto-Indo-European language. Indo-European studies have extensively dealt with the reconstruction of common PIE words and its derivatives, and lots of modern dictionaries of IE languages as Latin, English, German, Greek, Sanskrit, etc. already give etymologies in PIE roots apart from the oldest forms in their languages.
These notes are not intended to substitute the existing reference works, and indeed not to substitute the common PIE vocabulary to be used in Modern Indo-European, but just to facilitate the comprehension of Proto-Indo-European roots in light of their derivatives (and related to the vocabulary used in this grammar), showing also IE forms based on the common English vocabulary.
Many reconstructed derivatives are then from Germanic or from international words of Graeco-Latin origin, but this doesn’t imply we recommend their use over other common PIE words: for example, Latin loans gnātionālís, national, or gnātionlitā, nationality, are not used in some Germanic and Slavic languages, and should maybe be substituted by other, ‘purer’ or ‘less biased’ Proto-Indo-European terms. Also, non-IE suffixes Lat. aiqi-, re-, Gmc. iso-, “ice”, Gk. geo-, haimn-, could be substituted by common PIE formations, as e.g. Lat. re- could be replaced by a ‘purer’ IE ati-, and suffix -ti could be used instead of secondary Ita., Arm. -tio(n), etc.
1. Carlos Quiles, translated as Indo-European Kárlos
Kūriákī:
a. Carlos is a popular Spanish name derived from Germanic karlaz, kerlaz (cf. O.N. karl, O.E. ċeorl), maybe originally “common person, free man”, Modern Indo-European Kárlos. In Norse mythology, Karl was the name of the first free peasant, the son of Rig and Amma. Rig was the human form taken by the god Heimdall when he produced the progenitors of the three social classes (thralls, peasants and nobility) with three different women. In the Scandinavian languages, Karl retains its meaning “man”. In German, the origin of the name Karl can be traced to the word Kerl which is still used to describe somewhat rough and common men. As in the words churl and churlish in English.
b. Quiles is a genitive, and means “(son) of quili” (cf. Spa. Quílez, Cat. Quilis, Ast. Quirós, Gal-Pt. Quiris). It comes, from mediaeval noun Quirici->Quili (shortened and with r->l), a loan word from Gk. Κυριακος (Indo-European kūriákos), from which It./Spa. Quirico, Gl.-Pt. Queirici, Cat. Quirce, Fr. Quirice, O.N. kirkja, Eng. church, Scots kirk or Ger. Kirche. PIE root kew means swell. IE kū́rios means master, lord, as Gk. κυριος, and adjective Kyriakos was used as Roman cognomen Cyriacos. Kūriákī should then be the proper genitive of the MIE loan-translated Greek term.
2. For PIE root bhā (older *bheh2 colored into *bhah1) compare modern derivatives: zero-grade (bha) suffixed bháuknos, beacon, signal, as Gmc. bauknaz (cf. O.E. beacen, O.Fris. bacen, M.Du. bokin, O.H.G. bouhhan, O.Fr. boue, “buoy”), bhásiā, berry (“bright-coloured fruit”), as Gmc. bazjo (cf. O.E. berie, berige, O.H.G. beri, Frank. bram-besi into O.Fr. framboise, “raspberry”, MIE bhrambhásiā); bhánduos, banner, identifying sign, standard, hence “company united under a particular banner” as Gmc. bandwaz (cf. Goth. banwa, also L.Lat. bandum into Sp. banda); suffixed zero-grade bháues, light, as Gk. φῶς, φωτός, (MIE bháues, bhauesós), as in common borrowings bhawtogrbhíā (see gerbh), photography, shortened bháwtos, or bháuesphoros/phósphoros, bringing light, morning star, phosphorus. See bhā for more IE derivatives.
3. Modern derivatives from IE dńghū-, language, are usually feminine (as general dńghwā), but for extended Slavic dńghwiks, which is masculine (cf. Russ. язык, Pl. język, Cz. jazik, Sr.-Cr.,Slo. jezik, Bul. език). Compare, for the noun of the English (language), modern Indo-European words: neuter O.E. Englisc, Ger. Englisch, Du. Engels, Gk. n.pl. Αγγλικά; masculine is found in Scandinavian engelsk, in Romance – where the neuter merged with the masculine – Fr. anglais, It. inglese, Spa. inglés, Pt. inglese, as well as alternative Lat. sermō latīnus, and Slavic (following the masculine of the word “language”), Russ. английский [язык], Pol. język angielski, Bul. английски [език], Sr.-Cro. engleski [jezik] etc.); feminine (following the gender of “language”) Lat. anglica [lingua], Rom. [limba] engleză, or Slavic Cz. angličtina, Slo. angleščina, Bel. англiйская; or no gender at all, as in Arm. angleren [lezu].
4. PIE root wéro, speak, (or *werh3), gives MIE wŕdhom, word, as Gmc. wurdam, (cf. Goth. waurd, O.N. orð, O.S., O.Fris., O.E. word, Du. woord, O.H.G., Ger. wort), and wérdhom, word, verb, as Lat. uerbum, as in adwérdhiom, adverb, or prōwérdhiom, proverb; also wério, say, speak, metathesized in Greek, as in werioneíā, as Gk. εἰρωνεία; also, suffixed variant form wrētṓr, public speaker, rhetor, as Gk. ῥήτωρ, and wrḗmn, rheme. Compare also Umb. uerfalem, Gk. ειρω, Skr. vrata, Av. urvāta, O.Pruss. wīrds, Lith. vardas, Ltv. vārds, O.C.S. vračĭ, Russ. врать, O.Ir. fordat; Hitt. ueria.
5. PIE base jeug, join (probably from a root jeu), evolved as O.H.G. [untar]jauhta, Lat. jungō, Gk. ζεύγνῡμι O.Ind. yunákti, yōjayati (IE jeugeieti), Av. yaoj-, yuj-, Lith. jùngiu, jùngti; gives common derivatives jugóm, joining, yoke; cf. Gmc. jukam (cf. Goth. juk, O.N. ok, O.S. juk, O.E. geoc, Dan. aag, M.Du. joc, Du. juk, O.H.G. juch, Ger. Joch), Lat. iugum, Gk. ζυγον, O.Ind. yugám, Skr. yogaḥ, Arm. luc (with –l influenced by lucanem, “unyoke”), Toch. yokäm, O.C.S. igo, Russ. obža, Cz. jho, Welsh iau, O.Cor. ieu, Bret. ieo; Hett. yugan; jéugos, yoke, as Goth. jukuzi, M.H.G. jiuch, Lat. jūgerum (from Lat. jūgera, IE jóugesa), Gk. ζεῦγος, O.C.S. ižesa;
6. PIE adjective néwos, -ā, -om, gives Germanic newjaz, (cf. Goth. niujis, O.N. nýr, O.Eng. niowe, O.Fris. nie, O.H.G. niuwi, Du. nieuw, Dan., Swed. ny), Lat. nouus, Osc. núvellum, Gk. νέος, O.Ind. návas, návyas, Skr. navaḥ, Av. nava-, O.Pers. nau, Toch. ñu/ñuwe, Thrac. neos, Arm. նռր, O.Pruss. nauns (due to analogy with jauns), O.Lith. navas, Lith. naũjas, Ltv. nàujš, O.C.S. novŭ, O.Russ. новъ, Polish nowy, Gaul. Novio-, O.Ir. nūë, Welsh newydd, O.Bret. neuued, Kamviri nuĩ, Kashmiri nōv, O.Osset. nog; Hitt. newash, Luw. nāw.
It was probably a full grade of nu, now, as Gmc. nu (cf. Goth. nu, O.N. nū, O.E. nū, O.Fris. nu, O.Ger. nu, Du. nu, Ger. nun), Lat. nunc, Gk. νυ, νυν, O.Ind. nū, Av. nu, O.Pers. nūram, Toch. nuṃ/nano, O.Pruss. teinu, Lith. nū, Ltv. nu, O.C.S. nune, O.Ir. nu-, Alb. tani; Hitt. nuwa, Luw. nanun.
7. Indo-European médhjos (from PIE me, v.i.) gives Gmc. medjaz (cf. Goth. midjis, O.N. miðr, O.S. middi, O.E. midd, O.Fris. midde, O.H.G. mitti), Lat. medius, Osc. mefiaí, Gk. μέσσος, O.Ind. mádhjam, Skt. mádhjaḥ, Av. maidja-, Pers. mēān, Illyr. metu, O.Arm. mēj, O.Pruss. median, Lith. medis, Ltv. mežs, O.C.S.. mežda, O.Russ. межу, Polish między, Gaul. Mediolānum, O.Ir. mid, Welsh mewn, Kamviri pâmüč. West Germanic dialects have a common dimminutive medhjolós, middle, as Gmc. middilaz (cf. O.E. middel, M.L.G., Du. middel, Ger. Mittel); Latin derivatives include medhjālís, medial, medhjliā, medal, medhjā, mediate, médhjom, medium, entermedhjā, intermediate, medhjaiwālís, medieval, medhitersaniós, mediterranean, etc.
PIE me, in the middle of, gives suffixed formes médhi-, among, with, as Gmc. mid-, and méta-, between, with, beside, after, as Gk. meta.
For PIE áiw-, also ájus, vital force, life, long life, eternity, compare Gmc. aiwi (as in O.N. ei, Eng. aye, nay), suffixed áiwom, age, eternity, in medhjáiwom, Middle Ages, medhjaiwālís, mediaeval, prwimaiwālís, primeval, dhlongháiwotā, longevity; further suffixed áiwotā, age, and aiwoternós, eternal, as Lat. aeternus, in aiwotérnitā, eternity; suffixed áiwēn, age, vital force, eon, Gk. aiōn; zero-grade compound júcjēs, “having a vigorous life”, healthy (from cei, live), as Gk. hugiēs, in jucjésinā (téksnā), “(art) of health”, hygiene, as Gk. hugieinē (tekhnē); o-grade ójus, life, health, as Skr. āyuḥ, or Gk. ouk, from (ne) ojus (qid), “(not on your) life”, in ojutópiā, from Gk. οὐ, no, and τόπος, a place that doesn’t exist. See also jeu, vital force, youthful vigor.
8. PIE ágros, field, also pasture, land, plain, gives Gmc. akraz (cf. Goth. akrs, O.N. akr, O.E. æcer, O.Fris. ekkr, O.H.G. achar. Eng. acre), Lat. ager, Umb. ager (both from earlier Italic agros, district, property, field), Gk. αγρός, Skr. ajras, O.Arm. art.
9. Indo-European sqálos, squalus, shark, (cf. Lat. squalus) is probably cognate with qálos, whale, as in Gmc. khwalaz (cf. O.S. hwal, O.N. hvalr, O.E. hwæl, M.Du. wal, O.H.G. wal), possibly from an original (s)qalos, with a general meaning of “big fish”, then constrained in its meaning in individual dialects. See S-Mobile in § 2.8 for more on such related words.
10. Indo-European áqiā, “thing on the water”, “watery land”, island, is the source for Gmc. aujō, island (cf. Goth. ahwa, O.N. á, O.E. īeg, O.H.G. aha, O.Is. ey, M.H.G. ouwe, Eng. is[land]), as may be seen on Skandináqiā, Scandinavia L.Latin mistaken form of Skadináqiā, Scadinavia, “south end of Sweden”, loan-translation of Gmc. skadinaujō, “danger island” (cf. O.E. Scedenig, O.N. Skaney); first element is usually reconstructed as IE skátom, as in Gmc. *skathan, meaning danger, scathe, damage (Goth. scaþjan, O.N. skaða, O.E. sceaþian, O.Fris. skethia, M.Du. scaden, O.H.G. scadon), which could be related to Greek α-σκηθης (a-skēthēs), unhurt. The source for áqiā is PIE root áqā, water, cognate with Lat. aqua, Russ. Oká (name of a river) and, within the Anatolian branch, Hitt. akwanzi, Luw. ahw-, Palaic aku-.
English writing “island” was influenced by French isle, from Lat. insula, itself from MIE énsalā (from en-salos, “in the sea”, from sálom, sea, v.i.), giving derivatives ensalarís, insular, ensalanós, islander, ensalínā, insuline, etc.
11. IE léndhom, land, soil, country, region, gave Gmc. landom (cf. Goth.,O.N., O.E., O.Fris., Du., Ger. land), and is derived from PIE lendh, with the meaning of land, steppe; compare O.Pruss. lindan, O.C.S. ledina, Russ. ljada, Polish ląd, Gaul. landa, O.Ir. land, Welsh llan, Bret. lann.
12. For PIE root (á)ḿbhi, around, about, compare Gmc. (um)bi (cf. O.N. um/umb, O.E. be/bi, ymbe, M.Du. bie, O.H.G. umbi, bi, Du. bij, Ger. um, bei), Lat. ambi, amb, Gk. ἀμφι, Skr. abhi, Celt. ambi. It is probably derived from ant(i)-bhi, lit. “from both sides”, hence older IE *n̥bhi. For PIE ánti, front, forehead, compare Gmc. andja (end, originally “the opposite side”, cf. Goth. and, O.N. endr, O.E. ende, O.Fris. enda, O.H.G. endi), Lat. antiae, Osc. ant, Gk. ἀντι, Toch. ānt/ānte, Lith. ant, O.Ir. étan. Anatolian Hitt. ḫanta, Luw. hantili, Lyc. xñtawata support the hypothesis of an earlier locative *h2ént-i – see ant and ambhi.
13. Proto-Indo-European ag, drive, draw, move, do, act, compare Lat. agere, Gk. αγειν, O.Ir. Ogma, from which agtiós, weighty, as Gk. αξιος, ágrā, seizing, as Gk. αγρα, and ágtos, in ambhágtos, one who goes around, from Lat. ambactus, a loan word from Celtic. Other common derivatives include agtēiuós, active, agtuālís, actual, agtuariós, actuary, agtuā, actuate, agénts, agent, agilís, agile, agitā, agitate, ambhaguós, ambiguous, komágolom, coagulum, ekságiom, essay, eksagtós, exact, eksago, demand, ekságmn, swarm, later exam, eksagmnā, examine, eksagénts, exigent, eksaguós, exiguous, nawagā, navigate (from nus), dhūmagā, fumigate, (from dhúmos, smoke) fustagā, fustigate (from Lat. fustis, “club”), transago, compromise, ṇtransagénts, intransigent (from n-, un-, see ne), litagā, litigate (from Latin loan litágiom, litigation), prōdago, drive away, to squander, (from prō-d-es, be good), prōdagós, prodigal, redago, redact, retrōago, drive back, retrōagtēiuós, retroactive, transago, transact; Greek agogós, drawing off, in -agógos, -agogue (“leading, leader”), as in dāmagógos, “popular leader”, demagogue (from dmos, people), supnagogikós, hypnagogic (from swep, sleep), pawidagógos, pedagogue, protagonístā, protagonist (Gk πρωταγωνιστής), komagógā, synagogue; suffixed agtiós, “weighty”, as in agtiós, worth, worthy, of like value, weighing as much, as in agtiómā, axiom, Gk. ἀξίωμα, agtiologíā, axiology; suffixed ágrā, driving, pursuing, seizing, as in Gk. agrā, in podágrā.
For PIE dhúmos, smoke, Lat. fumus, Gk. thymos, Skt. dhumaḥ, O.Prus. dumis, Lith. dumai, O.C.S. dymu, M.Ir. dumacha.
Indo-European swep, sleep, gives swópōs, deep sleep, as Lat. sopor, in compound swoposidhakós (from -dhak), soporific; swópnos, sleep, as Lat. somnus, swópnolénts, somnolent, or ṇswópniom, insomnia; zero-grade suffixed súpnos, Gk. hypnos, and in supnótis, hypnosis, supnotikós, hypnotic.
For Indo-European root pau, few, little, compare derivatives pawós, Gmc. fawaz (cf. Goth. fawai, O.N. far, O.E. feawe, Dan. faa, O.Fris. fe, O.H.G. foh) or paukós, as Lat. paucus; suffixed metathesized form parwós, little, small, neuter parwom, little, rarely; compound pauparós, producing little, poor (IE parós, producing), as in depauparā, depauparate, and empauparā, impoverish; suffixed zero-grade púlā, young of an animal, as Gmc. fulōn (cf. Goth.,O.E. fula, O.N. foli, O.H.G. folo, O.Fris. fola, M.H.G. vole, Eng. foal, Ger. Fohlen); extended suffixed pútslos, young of an animal, chicken, as Lat. pullus, and diminutive putslolós, Lat pusillus, in putslolanamós, pusillanimous; also, for words meaning “boy, child”, compare suffixed púeros, as Lat. puer, pútos, as Lat. putus, and páwids, as Gk. παις (stem paid-), in pawideíā, education, Gk. παιδεία, in enq(u)qlopáwideiā, encyclopaedia, from Modern Latin, itself from Greek “ἐγκύκλια παιδεία” “[well-]rounded education” (see IE en, q’qlos) meaning “a general knowledge”.
For IE pero, produce, procure, older *perh2 (closely related to pero, both from per), compare Latin par- (from zero-grade), in parā, try to get, prepare, equip, in adparā, prepare, adpáratos, apparatus, apparel, enparā, command, enparātṓr, emperor, imperator, enparatēiuós, imperative, preparā, prepare, reparā, repair, separā, separate, sever; suffixed pario, get, beget, give birth, p.part. partós, in partosiénts, parturient, pártom, birth, repario, find out, repartóriom, repertory; parallel suffixed participial form parénts, parent, as Lat. parēns; suffixed form -parós, producing.
Indo-European pero, grant, allot (reciprocally, to get in return), gives derivatives as pártis, a share, part, as Lat. pars (stem part-), in partio, divide up, share, partitós, divided, share, partítos, division, party, partíkolā, particle (with dim. partikillā, parcel), dwipartitós, bipartite, kompartio, compart, enpartio, impart, repartio, repart, pártiōn, portion, a part, Lat. portiō, in prō partioní, in proportion, according to each part, into prōpártiōn, proportion; pār, equal, as in pritā, parity, kompārā, comapare, ṇpritā, imparity, etc.
14. PIE mātḗr (also mtēr) gave Gmc. mōdar, (cf. ON móðir, O.E. mōdor, O.S. modar, O.H.G. muoter, M.Du. moeder), Lat. māter, Osc. maatreís, Umb. matrer, Gk. μήτηρ, O.Ind. mātā, Skr. mātár-, Av. mātar-, Pers. mādar, Phryg. mater, Toch. mācar/mācer, Arm. մայր (mair), Alb. motër, O.Pruss. mūti, Lith. mótė, Ltv. māte, O.C.S., O.Russ. мати, Polish matka, Gaul. mātir, O.Ir. máthir, Welsh modryb, Kamviri motr, Osset. madæ.
IE ending -ter usually indicates kinship (see also pa-ter, bhrā-ter, dhuga-ter, jena-ter), whilst ma- (earlier IE *mah2-) is a baby like sound found in the word for “mother” in non-Indo-European languages; as, Estonian ema, Semitic cumm, Chinese māma, Apache, Navajo -ma, Vietnamese ma, Korean eomma, Malayalam amma, Zulu umama, Basque ama, Hawaiian makuahine, etc.; also, compare IE-related Hitt. anna, Hung. anya.
Compounds include māternós (or Lat. māternālís), maternal, mātérnitā, maternity, mātríkolā, list, register, and verb mātríkolā, matriculate, mtrīks, matrix, mātrimṓniom, matrimony; also, mātériā, tree trunk (<”matrix”, the tree’s source of growth), hence “hard timber used in carpentry”, hence (calque of Gk. hūlē, “wood, matter”), substance, stuff, matter, as in mātériālis, material; mātrópolis (from pólis), metropolis, as Gk. μητρόπολις, as well as Greek goddess of produce (especially for cereal crops) Demeter, from dē-māter , which have been related to IE de, da, or don.
English “wedding” comes from O.E. weddian “pledge, covenant to do something” from Gmc. wadjan (cf. Goth. ga-wadjon, O.N. veðja, O.Fris. weddia, Ger. Wette), from PIE base wadh- “to pledge, to redeem a pledge”, as Lat. vas (gen. vadis), “bail, security”, Lith. vaduoti “to redeem a pledge”. Development to “marry” is unique to the English language.