June theme: Domestic Animals 🐕

Introduction

Proto-Indo-European has *gʷṓws: "cow, cattle" and possible *woḱéh₂: "(female) cow".

And some other likely descendants of (the same?) Central Asian substrate words for "cattle": Sino-Tibetan *ŋwa: "cattle, ox", West Semitic *baḳar-: "cattle, ox"

Teaser

cow, butter, botany, beef, vaccine

Full Text

• ? Central Asian substrate?

  • Yeniseian *kus cow, horse

    • Northern Yeniseian

      • Ket куʼсь kuˀsʲ cow
    • Southern Yeniseian

      • Arin qus horse

        • Arin qúše mare
      • Pumpokol kut kutt horse

        • Pumpokol xilún-kut chilùn-kutt foal
      • Xiongnu *kuti mare?

        • Old Chinese 駃騠 *kʷeːd deː a kind of equine

          • Middle Chinese

            • Mandarin 駃騠 juétí hinny
            • Japanese ケッテイ / けつてい / 駃騠 kettei hinny
  • Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws cow, cattle

    • Yeniseian *kus cow, horse

      • Northern Yeniseian

        • Ket куʼсь kuˀsʲ cow
      • Southern Yeniseian

        • Arin qus horse

          • Arin qúše mare
        • Pumpokol kut kutt horse

          • Pumpokol xilún-kut chilùn-kutt foal
        • Xiongnu *kuti mare?

          • Old Chinese 駃騠 *kʷeːd deː a kind of equine

            • Middle Chinese

              • Mandarin 駃騠 juétí hinny
              • Japanese ケッテイ / けつてい / 駃騠 kettei hinny
    • Pre-Albanian *gauka

      • Albanian gak boar
    • Anatolian *gwóʔu-

      • Luwic

        • Hieroglyphic Luwian 𔑺𔗬𔗔 BOS-wa-sa cow where 𔑺 BOS is a semantic determinative
        • Lycian 𐊇𐊀𐊇𐊀 wawa cow
    • Old Armenian կով kov cow

      • Armenian կով kov cow
    • Balto-Slavic *gōw-

      • East Baltic

        • Latvian govs cow
      • Slavic *govę̀do head of cattle, bull, ox

        • East Slavic говѧдо govędo

          • Russian говядо govjado cattle
          • Ukrainian говядо hovjado
        • South Slavic

          • Old Church Slavonic ⰳⱁⰲⱔⰴⱁ / говѧдо govędo
          • Serbo-Croatian govedo / говедо cattle
        • West Slavic

          • Czech hovado cattle
    • Celtic *bāus

      • Brythonic *bʉ cow

        • Breton bu
        • Middle Welsh buw / bu
      • Old Irish bó ox, cow

        • Irish bó cow

          • Irish buachaill bó cowherd, cowboy
          • Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge The Cattle Raid of Cooley
        • Manx booa cow
        • Scottish Gaelic bò cow
    • Celtic *bowkkā

      • Brythonic

        • Welsh buwch cow
      • Celtic *Bāumāros personal name: Cow-Great

        • Gaulish Bomarus
    • Germanic *kūz cow

      • North Germanic *kūʀ

        • Old Norse kýr cow

          • Old East Norse

            • Danish ko cow
          • Old West Norse

            • Icelandic kýr cow
        • Samic *kusë

          • Northern Sámi gussa cow
      • West Germanic *kō

        • Old English cū cow

          • Middle English cou / kowe / cow

            • English cow
            • Scots coo cow
            • Yola keow cow
          • Old English cȳ cows plural

            • Old English cȳen cows double plural

              • Middle English

                • English kine
        • Frankish

          • Dutch koe cow
        • Old High German kuo

          • German Kuh cow
          • Yiddish קו ku cow
        • Old Saxon kuo / kō cow

          • Middle Low German koh / koo / kô

            • Low German Koh cow
    • Hellenic *gʷous

      • Mycenaean Greek 𐀦𐀃 qo-o cows, cattle
      • Classical Greek βοῦς boûs ox, cow, cattle, shield

        • Koine Greek βοΐδιον boḯdion diminuitive

          • Greek βόδι vódi ox
        • Classical Greek Βουκέφαλος Bouképhalos horse name: Ox-Head

          • English Bucephalus
        • Classical Greek βόειος bóeios bovine, pertaining to cows and oxen

          • Classical Greek βοείη boeíē cowhide

            • Latin boia collar, fetter

              • Western Romance

                • Old French buie fetter, chain

                  • Old French buie buoy

                    • Dutch boei buoy, shackle, fetter

                      • English buoy

                        • English buoyant
        • Classical Greek βουλιμία boulimía ravenous hunger lit. "ox's hunger"

          • English bulimia
        • Classical Greek βουστροφηδόν boustrophēdón writing that switches LtR/RtL with each line lit. "turning like an ox (ploughing a field)"

          • English boustrophedon
        • Classical Greek βούτῡρον boútūron butter lit. "cow-cheese"

          • Latin būtȳrum butter

            • Central Romance

              • Italian burro butter
            • Western Romance

              • French beurre butter
              • West Germanic *buterǭ

                • Old English butere butter

                  • English butter
                • Frankish *butero

                  • Dutch boter butter
                • Old High German butira butter

                  • German Butter butter

                    • Serbo-Croatian путер puter butter
                  • Yiddish פּוטער puter butter
          • English butyric acid isolated from rancid butter

            • English but- having four carbon (of organic molecules)

              • English butane
      • Hellenic *gʷouskō to tend to cows

        • Classical Greek βόσκω bóskō to graze, to feed, to tend to a herd

          • Greek βόσκω vósko to graze
          • Classical Greek βοτάνη botánē grass, fodder, herbs

            • Classical Greek βοτανικός botanikós of herbs, botanical

              • Greek βοτανικός votanikós botanical
              • Medieval Latin botanicus

                • French botanique botanical

                  • English botanic

                    • English botany backformation
      • Classical Greek βούβαλος boúbalos wild bovine, such as antelope or wild oxen

        • Greek βούβαλος voúvalos
        • Albanian buall buffalo
        • Latin būfalos / būbalus *būvalus wild bovine, ox, buffalo, antelope

          • Central Romance

            • Italian bufalo buffalo

              • Old French bufle buffalo

                • Middle French buffle buffalo

                  • French buffle buffalo
                  • English buffle
                  • German Büffel buffalo
                • Dutch buffel buffalo
          • Eastern Romance

            • Romanian bour wild ox, aurochs, wisent
            • Slavic *byvolъ

              • East Slavic

                • Russian буйвол bujvol buffalo
                • Ukrainian буйвіл bujvil
              • South Slavic

                • Serbo-Croatian bivol / биво / бивол / bivo buffalo
                • Hungarian bivaly buffalo
                • Romanian bivol buffalo
              • West Slavic

                • Czech buvol buffalo
                • Polish bawół buffalo
          • Spanish búfalo, bison

            • English buffalo
          • Brythonic *bʉβal buffalo, drinking horn

            • Welsh bual bison, drinking horn
          • Old Irish búaball

            • Irish buabhall buffalo, bugle, drinking horn
          • Translingual Bubalus taxonomic genus of water buffalo

            • English bubale
        • Classical Greek βουβάλιον boubálion diminutive

          • Greek βουβάλι vouváli buffalo
    • Indo-Iranian *gā́wš

      • Indo-Aryan

        • Sanskrit 𑀕𑁅𑀂 gaúḥ cow, ox, cattle

          • Maharashtri

            • Marathi गाय gāy cow from gavi form
          • Pali go

            • Khmer គោ koo ox, cow, bull
            • Thai โค koo cow, ox
          • Sauraseni 𑀕𑀸𑀈 gāī from gavi form

            • Hindustani

              • Hindi गया / गाय gayā gāy gone, went suppletive past tense of जाना jānā
            • Northwestern Sauraseni

              • Kashmiri گاو gāv cow
              • Punjabi ਗਾਂ gā̃ cow
          • Telugu గోవు gōvu cow, ox
          • Sanskrit 𑀕𑁄𑀭𑀽𑀧 gorūpá bovine, cow-like, cow-shaped

            • Magadhi

              • Bengali গোরু goru cow, ox, cattle
            • Maharashtri

              • Marathi गुरू gurū cattle
            • Sauraseni

              • Romani guruv ox, bull
          • Sanskrit 𑀕𑁄𑀢𑁆𑀭 gotra cow-pen, enclosure, homestead, family, tribe

            • Pali

              • Thai โคตร kôot ancestry, clan, lineage
            • Telugu గోత్రము gōtramu family, tribe, lineage
          • Sanskrit 𑀕𑁄𑀤𑀸𑀯𑀭𑀻 Godāvarī Cow-Giver river name

            • Maharashtri

              • Marathi गोदावरी Godāvarī

                • English Godavari
          • Sanskrit 𑀕𑁄𑀧𑀸𑀮 gópālá cowherd kenning of "king", epithet of Krishna and Shiva

            • Sauraseni

              • Hindustani

                • Hindi ग्वाला gvālā herdsman, milkman
            • Telugu గోపాలుడు gōpāluḍu cowherd, king
      • Iranian *gā́wš cow

        • Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬊 gao cow, bull

          • Avestan gao-čiθra epithet of the moon, appears as a bull? lineage of a bull? splendor of a bull?
        • Northern Iranian

          • Ossetian хъуг qug cow
        • Pashto غوا ghwā cow
        • Western Iranian

          • Northwestern Iranian

            • Balochi گوک gúk cow
            • Kurdish ga ox, bull
          • Old Persian

            • Persian گاو gāv cow
      • Nuristani *gā

        • Kamviri go
      • Indo-Iranian *gā́wajana cattle-goad

        • Indo-Aryan

          • Sanskrit 𑀕𑀯𑀚𑀦 gavájana
        • Iranian

          • Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬁𐬰𐬀 gauuāza ox-goad
          • Western Iranian

            • Northwestern Iranian

              • Parthian

                • Old Armenian գաւազան gawazan goad, cudgel, punishment, staff, authority, diocese

                  • Armenian գավազան gavazan staff, shepherd's crook, scepter, authority
            • Old Persian

              • Persian گوازه gavāza ox-goad
              • Persian گاوزنه gâvzane ox-goad
    • Italic *gʷōm *gʷōs

      • Osco-Umbrian

        • Oscan buv-
        • Umbrian 𐌁𐌖𐌌 bum cow only attested as accusative
        • Latin bovem / bōs cow, ox expected Latin would be **ūs/**vōs

          • Central Romance

            • Italian bove ox
          • Western Romance

            • French bœuf ox, beef

              • English beef
            • Spanish buey ox, steer

              • Mexican Spanish güey
          • Latin bovīnus

            • English bovine
    • Thracian *bonasos? a bull

      • Classical Greek βόνασος bonasos European bison, wisent
    • Tocharian *kewä

      • Arshian ko cow
      • Kushean keᵤ cow
      • Kushean kaiyye cow
    • Proto-Indo-European *gʷowkólh₁os cowherd ^[1]

      • Celtic *boukolyos

        • Brythonic

          • Welsh bugail shepherd, pastor
        • Old Irish búachaill cowherd, herdsman

          • Irish buachaill bó cowherd, cowboy
          • Irish buachaill boy, boyfriend, herdsman, (male) employee
      • Hellenic *gʷoukólos

        • Mycenaean Greek 𐀦𐀄𐀒𐀫 qo-u-ko-ro cowherders
        • Classical Greek βουκόλος boukólos cowherd

          • Classical Greek βουκολῐκός boukolikós rustic, pastoral, pastoral poetry

            • Latin būcolicus pertaining to shepherds, bucolic

              • English bucolic
    • Proto-Indo-European *gʷh₃u-dʰh₁- cow-placing

      • Proto-Indo-European *gʷh₃u-dʰh₁-yom herd of cows

        • Germanic *kudją (cow) herd

          • West Germanic *kuddi

            • Frankish *kuddi

              • Dutch kudde herd
            • Old High German kutti
    • Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tógʷus possessing a hundred cows

      • Celtic *bukantos *kantobus

        • Old Irish Buchet name of a mythical cowherd
      • Hellenic *hekətóngʷā

        • Classical Greek ἑκατόμβη hekatómbē animal sacrifice, hecatomb, great sacrifice

          • Latin hecatombē

            • English hecatomb
      • Indo-Iranian *ćatáguš

        • Indo-Aryan

          • Sanskrit śataguḥ शतगुः possessing a hundred cattle, wealthy
        • Iranian *catáguš

          • Western Iranian

            • Northwestern Iranian

              • Medean *Sataguš place name: Possessing a Hundred Cattle, Sattagydia

                • Akkadian 𒊓𒀜𒁕𒄖𒅆 / 𒊓𒀜𒀀𒄖𒍑 sa-at-a-gu-uš sa-ad-d-gu-ši Sattagydia
                • Elamite 𒊓𒆪𒆪 / 𒊓𒀜𒆪𒆪𒆜 sa-da-ku sa-ad-da-ku-iš Sattagydia
                • Egyptian 𓐠𓂧𓎼𓍯𓍒 sꜣ-d-g-wꜣ-ḏꜣ-FOREIGN Sattagydia
                • Classical Greek Σατταγυδαι Sattagudai Sattagydia

                  • English Sattagydia
            • Old Persian 𐎰𐎫𐎦𐎢𐏁 θ-t-gu-u-š Sattagydia

              • Akkadian 𒊓𒀜𒁕𒄖𒅆 / 𒊓𒀜𒀀𒄖𒍑 sa-at-a-gu-uš sa-ad-d-gu-ši Sattagydia
              • Elamite 𒊓𒆪𒆪 / 𒊓𒀜𒆪𒆪𒆜 sa-da-ku sa-ad-da-ku-iš Sattagydia
              • Egyptian 𓐠𓂧𓎼𓍯𓍒 sꜣ-d-g-wꜣ-ḏꜣ-FOREIGN Sattagydia
              • Classical Greek Σατταγυδαι Sattagudai Sattagydia

                • English Sattagydia
    • Proto-Indo-European **gʷowéh₂ **gʷowséh₂

      • Proto-Indo-European *woḱéh₂ (female) cow

        • Indo-Iranian *waĉáH

          • Indo-Aryan *waśáH

            • Sanskrit 𑀯𑀰𑀸 vaśā́ barren, cow
        • Italic *wokā

          • Latin vacca (female) cow

            • Central Romance

              • Italian vacca
            • Eastern Romance

              • Romanian vacă cow, beef
            • Insular Romance

              • Sardinian bacca cow
            • Western Romance

              • French vache
              • Spanish vaca cow, beef, leather

                • Cherokee ᏩᎦ waga cow
                • Nahuatl huācax cow
                • Navajo béégashii cow
                • Quechua waka cow
            • Latin vaccīnus of or derived from a cow

              • Central Romance

                • Italian vaccino bovine, vaccine
              • French vaccin

                • English vaccine

                  • Irish vacsaín
                  • Japanese ワクチン wakuchin
                  • Korean 백신 baeksin
                • Persian واکسن vâksan
                • Russian вакцина vakcina
                • Vietnamese vắc-xin
            • Latin vaccārius cowherder early medieval

              • Central Romance

                • Italian vaccaio cowherd
              • Eastern Romance

                • Romanian văcar cowherd
              • Western Romance

                • French vacher cowherd
                • Spanish vaquero cowherd, cowboy, jeans

                  • English buckaroo
  • West Semitic

    • Central Semitic *baḳar- cattle

      • Arabic بقر baqar cattle, oxen
      • Northwest Semitic

        • Aramaic בקרא baqraʾ herd
        • Canaanite

          • Hebrew בקר baqár cattle, beef
          • Phoenician 𐤁𐤒𐤓 bqr cattle, herd of cattle

            • Punic *vqr

              • Latin vacca (female) cow

                • Central Romance

                  • Italian vacca
                • Eastern Romance

                  • Romanian vacă cow, beef
                • Insular Romance

                  • Sardinian bacca cow
                • Western Romance

                  • French vache
                  • Spanish vaca cow, beef, leather

                    • Cherokee ᏩᎦ waga cow
                    • Nahuatl huācax cow
                    • Navajo béégashii cow
                    • Quechua waka cow
                • Latin vaccīnus of or derived from a cow

                  • Central Romance

                    • Italian vaccino bovine, vaccine
                  • French vaccin

                    • English vaccine

                      • Irish vacsaín
                      • Japanese ワクチン wakuchin
                      • Korean 백신 baeksin
                    • Persian واکسن vâksan
                    • Russian вакцина vakcina
                    • Vietnamese vắc-xin
                • Latin vaccārius cowherder early medieval

                  • Central Romance

                    • Italian vaccaio cowherd
                  • Eastern Romance

                    • Romanian văcar cowherd
                  • Western Romance

                    • French vacher cowherd
                    • Spanish vaquero cowherd, cowboy, jeans

                      • English buckaroo
  • Central Semitic *baḳar- cattle

    • Arabic بقر baqar cattle, oxen
    • Northwest Semitic

      • Aramaic בקרא baqraʾ herd
      • Canaanite

        • Hebrew בקר baqár cattle, beef
        • Phoenician 𐤁𐤒𐤓 bqr cattle, herd of cattle

          • Punic *vqr

            • Latin vacca (female) cow

              • Central Romance

                • Italian vacca
              • Eastern Romance

                • Romanian vacă cow, beef
              • Insular Romance

                • Sardinian bacca cow
              • Western Romance

                • French vache
                • Spanish vaca cow, beef, leather

                  • Cherokee ᏩᎦ waga cow
                  • Nahuatl huācax cow
                  • Navajo béégashii cow
                  • Quechua waka cow
              • Latin vaccīnus of or derived from a cow

                • Central Romance

                  • Italian vaccino bovine, vaccine
                • French vaccin

                  • English vaccine

                    • Irish vacsaín
                    • Japanese ワクチン wakuchin
                    • Korean 백신 baeksin
                  • Persian واکسن vâksan
                  • Russian вакцина vakcina
                  • Vietnamese vắc-xin
              • Latin vaccārius cowherder early medieval

                • Central Romance

                  • Italian vaccaio cowherd
                • Eastern Romance

                  • Romanian văcar cowherd
                • Western Romance

                  • French vacher cowherd
                  • Spanish vaquero cowherd, cowboy, jeans

                    • English buckaroo
  • Sumerian 𒄞 gud' cattle, ox
  • Sino-Tibetan *ŋwa cattle, ox

    • Old Chinese 牛 *ŋʷɯ cow, ox, buffalo, bovine, beef

      • Middle Chinese 牛

        • Mandarin 牛 niú
        • Wu 牛 nyieu3
        • Yue 牛 ngau4
        • Japanese ぎゅう / 牛 gyū cow, ox, cattle
      • Min 牛

        • Hokkien 牛 gû
    • Tibeto-Burman

      • Lolo-Burmese

        • Southwestern Tai

          • Lao ງົວ ngūa cow
          • Thai วัว wuua cow, bovine
      • Tibeto-Kanauri

        • Tibetan བ ba cow

          • Tibetan བ་ཕྱུགས ba phyugs cattle lit. "domestic cow" or "cow-wealth"?
          • Tibetan ?

            • French zébu from an unknown Tibetan word which might have included བ ba

              • English zebu
  • Vietic *bɔː bovine, zebu

    • Vietnamese bò zebu, (straight-horned) bovine

Visual

Collected English words

cow, kine, Bucephalus, buoy, buoyant, bulimia, boustrophedon, butter, butyric acid, but-, butane, botanic, botany, buffle, buffalo, Bubalus, bubale, Godavari, beef, bovine, bucolic, hecatomb, Sattagydia, vaccine, buckaroo, zebu

Footnotes

1. ^

   Proto-Indo-European *gʷowkólos: "cowherd" is composed of *gʷow-: "cow" + *kʷólos: "herder" from *kʷel-: "to turn, to move, to cultivate". But the sequence of two labio-velars dissimilates from *gʷ...kʷ to *gʷ...k. This is, in fact, called "the boukólos rule" after this example. If there wasn't dissimilation then the Greek would be βουπόλος boupólos instead.