Introduction

This is quite a large family with a number of borrowings into other language families. Because, it turns out, the Indo-European speakers' relationship with wheels is pretty important in a lot of people's history, like the Sumerians' relationship with reeds.

There is also a root *wel(h₁)-: "to turn, to wind, to eddy", which it's hard to argue is completely unrelated to *kʷel(h₁)-: "to roll, to turn"! But doing they're both quite big families, and I ran out of time to do them both at once. The *wel(h₁)- family includes words like waltz, walk, revolution, vulgar, and helicopter.

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Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- to roll, to turn

Proto-Indo-European *kʷélh₁eti rolls, travels primary verb
- Albanian sjell to turn, to bring, to dawdle
- Hellenic *kʷélō
  - Ancient Greek πέλω pélō to go, to become, to be
    
    Ancient Greek πάλαι pálai gone, far away, long ago
    
    English paleo-
- Indo-Iranian *čárati
  - Indo-Aryan *ćárati
    
    Sanskrit चरति cárati moves, walks, wanders, directs, behaves
    
    Pali carati walks, moves
  - Iranian *čárati
    
    Avestan 𐬗𐬀𐬭𐬁𐬥𐬍 carānī I move, I approach
    
    Northern Iranian
    
    Alanian
    
    Ossetian цӕрын cæryn I live
    
    Pashto څرېدل caredal to take to pasture, to set to graze
    
    Western Iranian
    
    Northwestern Iranian
    
    Kurdish çerîn to set to graze
    
    Old Persian
    
    Persian چریدن to take to pasture, to set to graze
- Italic *kʷelō
  - Latin colō I plow, I cultivate, I inhabit, I worship
    
    Latin -cola inhabitor, cultivator, worshipper
    
    Latin agricola farmer lit. "field-turner"
    
    Latin Agricola Farmer personal or family name
    
    English Agricola ^[1]
    
    French agricole agricultural
    
    Latin colōnus farmer, inhabitant, colonist
    
    Western Romance
    
    French colon colonist, colonizer, camper, sharecropper
    Italian colono colonist, settler, farmer
    Spanish colono colonist, settler, farmer ^[2]
    
    Latin colōnia colony, settlement, estate
    
    English colony
  - Italic *inkʷelō
    
    Italic *inkʷelīnos
    
    Latin inquilīnus sojourner, tenant, of foreign origin
Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁esyeti
- Hellenic *kʷeléyyō
  - Ancient Greek τελέω teléō I complete, I fulfill, I perform
Proto-Indo-European *kʷólh₁os
- Hellenic *kʷólos
  - Ancient Greek πόλος pólos axle, pivot, hinge
    
    Greek πόλος pólos pole (of an axis or battery)
    
    Greek Βόρειος Πόλος North Pole
    
    Latin polus pole (of an axis)
    
    Old French pole
    
    French pôle
    English pole ^[3]
Proto-Indo-European *kʷl̥h₁tós turned adjective
- Italic *kʷəltos
  - Latin cultus tilled, cultivated, nurtured, worshipped, religious group
    
    French culte
    
    English cult
    
    Latin cultūra care, cultuivation, agriculture, culture
    
    French culture
    
    English culture
    
    Italian cultura
    Spanish cultura
    
    Latin agricultūra
    
    English agriculture
Proto-Indo-European *kʷélh₁os
- Hellenic *kʷélos
  - Ancient Greek τέλος télos completion, fulfillment, result, end, death, highest authority, taxes
    
    Greek τέλος end, finish
    
    Ancient Greek Ἀριστοτέλης Aristotélēs Best-Result (personal name)
    
    Latin Aristotelēs Aristotle
    
    English Aristotle
    
    English tele(o)-
Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁om
- Balto-Slavic
  - West Baltic
    
    Old Prussian kelan wheel
Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlh₁os
- Anatolian *kuakula?? wheels (collective) ^[4]
  - Hittite 𒆪𒄢𒆷 KU.GUL.LA donut
  - Sumerian 𒇀 GIGIR chariot
  - Northwest Semitic *GLGL wheels, rolling
    
    Hebrew גַּלְגַּל gálgal wheel
    Hebrew הִתְגַּלְגֵּל hitgalgél to roll
- Balto-Slavic *kaklas neck ^[5]
  - Eastern Baltic
    
    Lithuanian kãklas neck, collar
    
    Finnic *kakla
    
    Finnish kaula neck
- Germanic *hwehwlã wheel
  - North Germanic
    
    Old Norse hvél
    
    Icelandic hvel wheel, disk, circle
  - Germanic *hweulō wheels
    
    North Germanic
    
    Old Norse hjól wheel
    
    Danish hjul wheel
    
    Icelandic hjól wheel, tire
    
    Icelandic reiðhjól bicycle
    
    West Germanic
    
    Old English hwēol wheel
    
    English wheel
    
    Frankish *wiol
    
    Dutch wiel wheel
- Hellenic
  - Ancient Greek κῠ́κλος kúklos circle, wheel, crowd, sphere
    
    Greek κύκλος kýklos circle, cycle, course
    
    Latin cyclus circle, cycle
    
    French cycle
    
    English cycle
    
    Japanese サイクル saikuru
    
    French bicycle
    
    French bicyclette
    English bicycle
    
    Italian ciclo
    Spanish ciclo
    
    English Kuklos Adelphon
    
    English Ku Klux Klan
    
    Ancient Greek κυκλόω kuklóō to go in a circle, to surround
    
    English cyclone
    
    Ancient Greek Κύκλωψ Kúklōps cyclops partly ^[6]
    
    English cyclops
- Indo-Iranian *čakrám wheel
  - Indo-Aryan *ćakrám
    
    Sanskrit चक्र cakrá wheel, circle, cycle
    
    Magadhi
    
    Bengali চাকা caka
    
    Pali cakka wheel, circle, cycle, command
    
    Burmese စက် cak circle, wheel, cycle, machine
    Thai จักร jàk wheel, circle, gear, chakra, realm
    
    Sauraseni
    
    Madhya
    
    Hindi चक्कर cakkar circle, curve, roundabout
    
    Telugu చక్రము cakramu wheel
    English chakra
    English chakram
    
    Sanskrit चक्रवर्तिन् cakravartin
    
    English chakravartin
  - Iranian *čaxrám
    
    Avestan 𐬗𐬀𐬑𐬭𐬀 caxra wheel
    
    Northern Iranian
    
    Alanian
    
    Ossetian цалх calx wheel
    
    Pashto څرخ carx
    
    Western Iranian
    
    Northwestern Iranian
    
    Balochi چہر čahr
    Kurdish çerx wheel
    
    Old Persian
    
    Persian چرخ čarx wheel, cart, spool, pulley
    
    Iranian *čaxrákah spinning wheel
    
    Western Iranian
    
    Northwestern Iranian
    
    Balochi چہرگ čahrag
    
    Old Persian
    
    Persian چرخه čarxe spinning wheel
  - Finnic *kecrä spindle, wheel, flywheel
    
    Finnish kehrä spindle, disk of the Sun or Moon
    Finnish kekri harvest festival "turning of the year?"
- Phrygian κίκλην kíklēn
- Tocharian *kukäle
  - Arshian kukäl wagon, cart
  - Kushean kokale wagon, cart
Proto-Indo-European *kʷólh₁os
- Balto-Slavic *kalas
  - Slavic *kȍlo wheel, circle
- Celtic *kʷolos
  - Old Irish cul chariot?
    
    Old Irish culgaire chariot noise with gaire: "call, shout"
Proto-Indo-European *kʷolh₁som
- Italic *kʷolsom
  - Latin collum neck ^[5]
    
    Sardinian coddu neck
    
    Western Romance
    
    Old French col
    
    French cou neck
    French col collar, neck (of a vase, etc.)
    
    Italian collo neck, collar, package
    Spanish cuello neck, collar
    
    Latin collāris of the neck, collared
    
    Old French coler
    
    French colier
    
    English collar
    
    Irish coiléar collar, truss
Proto-Indo-European *kʷolh₁sos
- Germanic *halsaz neck ^[5]
Proto-Indo-European *kʷl̥h₁is
- Hellenic
  - Ancient Greek *pális back, reverse "turned part"
    
    Ancient Greek πᾰ́λῐν pálin backwards, again
    
    Greek πάλι páli again
    Coptic ⲡⲁⲗⲓⲛ palin again
    
    Ancient Greek πᾰλῐ́μψηστος palímpsēstos re-scraped
    
    Latin palimpsēstus manuscript scraped clean for re-use, palimpsest
    
    English palimpsest
Proto-Indo-European ?
- Tocharian
  - Kushean kleŋke wagon
  - Old Chinese *kla chariot ^[7]
    
    Middle Chinese 車 kɨʌ chariot (xiangqi), rook (chess) ^[7]
    
    Mandarin 車 jū
    Wu 車 geoi¹
    Yue 車 jy¹
  - Old Chinese *kʰlja chariot, cart ^[7]
    
    Middle Chinese 車 t͡ɕʰia chariot, cart, vehicle, machine ^[7]
    
    Mandarin 車 chē chariot, cart, vehicle, machine
    Wu 車 tsho¹ chariot, cart, vehicle, machine
    Yue 車 ce¹ chariot, cart, vehicle, machine
    Japanese 車 sha vehicle
    Korean 차 cha vehicle
  - Old Chinese 轂 *kloːɡ hub, wheel, chariot
Uralic *kulke- to go, to walk
- Finno-Ugric
  - Finnic *kulkedak
    
    Finnish kulkea to go, to walk, to travel
  - Ugric
    
    Hungarian halad to proceed, to advance
- Samoyedic
  - Nenets хуˮла χūllā to drift
Proto-Indo-European *kʷlewt- to turn, to change a new root re-analyzed from a zero-grade form?
- Proto-Indo-European *kʷlutsḱéti iterative verb
  - Tocharian *klutk-
    
    Arshian lutk- to make, to change, to become, to turn into
    Kushean klutk- to make, to change, to become, to turn into
- Proto-Indo-European *kʷlewtsm̥
  - Albanian qeshë was suppletive past tense of jam
Proto-Indo-European *kleyp-? (flat) bread ^[8]
- Balto-Slavic
  - East Baltic
    
    Lithuanian kliẽpas loaf of bread
- Germanic *hlaibaz
  - East Germanic
    
    Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃 hlaifs bread
    
    Slavic *xlě̀bъ
    
    East Slavic хлѣбъ xlěbŭ
    
    Russian хлеб xleb bread, loaf, living
    
    South Slavic
    
    Old Church Slavonic хлѣбъ xlěbŭ bread, loaf
    Serbo-Croatian хље̏б hljȅb bread, loaf
    
    West Slavic
    
    Polish chleb bread, work
  - North Germanic
    
    Old Norse hleifr loaf
    
    Danish lev
    Icelandic hleifur loaf (of bread)
  - West Germanic
    
    Old English hlāf bread, loaf
    
    English loaf
    Scots laif
    
    Old English hlǣfdīġe mistress of a household lit. "bread-kneader"
    
    English lady
    
    Old English hlāfweard master of a houshold lit. "bread-guard"
    
    English lord
    Scots laird
  - Finnic *laipa
    
    Finnish leipä bread
  - Samic *lājpē
    
    Northern Sami láibi bread
- Hellenic
  - Ancient Greek κρῑ́βᾰνος krī́banos bread pan, bread oven also appears as klī́banos
    
    Greek Κλίβανος furnace
    Latin clībanus breadpan, oven, furnace

Visual

Collected English words

Footnotes

As in Georgius Agricola, the Latinate name of Georg Bauer the author of "De Rei Metallica", the foundational work of geology. "Bauer" means "farmer" in German, thus the translation to "Agricola". But also, "Georg(ius)" is from Greek γεωργός geōrgós: "farmer" ("geo-" + "ergo-": "earth-work"), so he is "Farmer Farmer".

Do Spanish speakers make puns on Cristobal Colón (the Spanish version of Christopher Columbus) and colono: "colonizer"? (He was probably natively Cristoffa Corombo. In any case the family name meant "dove".)

English pole as in North Pole or the pole of a magnet is from Greek πόλος pólos: "axle, pivot point". But pole like an upright stick is from Latin palus, thus setting up much confusion as to whether there is a pole at the North Pole.

Sumerian 𒇀 GIGIR: "chariot" and/or Hebrew גַּלְגַּל gálgal: "wheel" may derive from IE introduction of the chariot, but it is far from certain.

Words for "neck" come from this root via the concept of "thing that turns (your head)".

Germanic *halsaz you'd expect to be *hwalsaz. Perhaps the *w was absorbed by the *o before it was lowered to *a, or it could have been influenced by Latin collum, where the absorption of the *w is expected.

Κύκλωψ Kúklōps: "cyclops" can be understood as "round eye", but this may be an eggcorn of *péḱu-klṓps: "cattle-thief", after Greek stopped using the word *péḱu. If so, the reinterpretation of the word may have led to a re-envisioning of the creature. (Reconstruction shows that cattle-raiding was clearly an important part of Proto-Indo-European culture and probably mythology.)

There are three Chinese words related to wheels and vehicles that sound vaguely like *kʷelh₁- or *kʷékʷlh₁os:

車 *kʰlja/*kla: "chariot, cart"
轂 *kloːɡ: "hub, wheel, chariot"
軲轆 gu lu(k): "wheel"

There's a good chance at least one of these is from Indo-European, since chariots arrived in China from the west across the steppe and through the Jade Gate.

車 is a great example of a hanzi where you can still see the ancient pictographic origin. It's a top down view of a chariot with the an axle and wheels to the top and bottom. (Note: 車 appears as a semantic component of the hanzi 轂 and both of the hanzi in 軲轆).

On the other hand, there are also similar sounding words with more general circular meanings that are less likely to be from Indo-European, and also provide an alternate origin for the ones above:

回 *ɡuːl: "to turn around, to repeat, to refuse"
歸 *klul: "to return, to come back to"

Tibetan also has འཁོར 'khor: "to turn around, to spin, to gather, circle, wheel, cycle" and འཁོར་ལོ 'khor lo: "wheel, vehicle, chariot, machine", which adds support to a native Sino-Tibetan origin of some of them, especially, 軲轆 gu lu(k): "wheel".

*kleyp-? is a plausible root for at least two words of unknown origin connected to bread: Germanic *hlaibaz: "loaf" and Ancient Greek krī́banos/klī́banos: "bread pan, bread oven". The East Baltic words (represented by Lithuanian kliẽpas: "loaf of bread") may be a third, or may represent an early borrowing from Germanic, like the later Slavic borrowing.

Germanic *hlaibaz (loaf) is thought to have originally meant flatbread, in constrast to *braudã (bread), connected to brew and meaning "leavened bread". Assuming this is correct, the semantic connection to kʷel- is the wheel-like shape of most flatbread.

On the other hand, the phonology is shaky and Ancient Greek words that vary between l and r tend to be borrowings from non-IE sources. Often because the Minoan language appears not to have had an l/r distinction, and/or because some but not all Ancient Egyptian dialects in which l merged into r. So these words could also be borrowed from one or more unknown languages. (see "lion")

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