November theme: Mes de Muertos 💀
Introduction
A root meaning "to run, to depart" can be reconstructed from Hellenic and Indo-Iranian. But in Northwest branches, Balto-Slavic, Celtic, Germanic, and possibly Italic, there is a phonologically identical root meaning "to die". So it's probably a euphemism coined in a Late Northwest Indo-European.
Albanian and Armenian have words with the death meaning that are likely from the same root, which is unexpected since they are not part of the Northwest region.
Teaser
death ,
funeral
Full Text
Proto-Indo-European *dʰew- to run, to depart
Proto-Indo-European *dʰéw-eti
Anatolian
Hellenic *tʰéwō
Ancient Greek θέω théō I run, I hasten
Ancient Greek θοός thoós swift
Ancient Greek βοηθός boēthós helper, assistant lit. "shout-hastener", i.e., first responder
Latin surname 6th century philosopher
Indo-Iranian *dʰáwati
Indo-Aryan
Sanskrit धावति dhāvati to run, to flee
Iranian *dáwatī
Persian دویدن davidan to run
Proto-Indo-European *dʰew- to die Late Western PIE euphemism?
Proto-Indo-European *dʰéw-eti
Albanian vdekje death
Balto-Slavic
Slavic *dāvìti to suffocate
East Slavic давити daviti
Russian дави́ть davítʹ to weigh down, to crush, to stifle
South Slavic
Old Church Slavonic давити daviti
Serbo-Croatian да́вити dáviti to suffocate, to drown
West Slavic
Polish dławić to stifle, to quell, to choke
Germanic *dawjaną to die
North Germanic
Old Norse deyja to die
Danish dø to die
Icelandic deyja to die
West Germanic
Old English dīġan
English die
Scots dee die
Frankish *douwen
Middle Dutch douwen to die off, to die out
Old High German touwen
Proto-Indo-European *dʰwiHt-us
Armenian դի di corpse
Celtic *dwītus
Old Irish díth
Irish díth loss, deprivation, destruction, lack, need
Proto-Indo-European *dʰów-tus
Germanic *dauþuz death
East Germanic
Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌿𐍃 dauþus death
North Germanic
Old Norse dauði death
Danish død death
Icelandic dauði death
Finno-Ugric *tauti disease
Finnic *tauti
Samic *tāvtë
Northern Sami dávda disease
West Germanic
Old English dēaþ death
Old High German tōd death
German Tod death
Yiddish טויט toyt death
Frankish
Proto-Indo-European *dʰowHt-ós
Germanic *daudaz dead
East Germanic
North Germanic
Old Norse dauðr dead
Danish død dead
Icelandic dauður dead
West Germanic
Old English dēad dead
Frankish
Old High German tōt dead
German tot dead
Yiddish טויט toyt dead
Proto-Indo-European *dʰew-nós?
Italic
Latin funus death, funeral
Latin fūnerālis of a funeral, funereal
Western Romance
French funérailles funeral
Italian funerale funeral
Spanish funeral funeral
Visual
Collected English words
die ,
death ,
dead ,
funeral
Footnotes
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