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1. Word Family - Anthology

   Introduction

   Proto-Indo-European *h₂endʰ-: "to bloom" is represented almost entirely by Greek ἄνθος ánthos, but there's just enough smattering across other branches to demonstrate that it's not something the Greeks picked up after they split from the rest of IE.

   Teaser

   anthology, chrysanthemum, Ianthe

   Full Text

   • Proto-Indo-European *h₂endʰ- to bloom Late …

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2. Word Family - Autism

   Introduction

   Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew: "away from, since, again" cannot be formally tied to *h₂epó: "off, away", but the similarity is suggestive. Perhaps Pre-Proto-Indo-European *b became either *p (by fortition) or *w (by lenition) in almost all cases, accounting for the paucity of *b in PIE.

   In any case, the later (re …

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3. Word Family - Karma

   Teaser

   terahertz, Britain, Sanskrit, Paris, Jakarta

   Full Text

   • Early Proto-Indo-European

     • Anatolian

       • Hittite 𒆪𒂊𒅕𒍣 ku-e-er-zi cuts, cuts up, cuts off
       • Cuneiform Luwian 𒆪𒉿𒅈𒋾 ku-wa-ar-ti to cut

         • Cuneiform Luwian 𒆳𒊭𒀸𒊭𒀭 kur-ša-aš-ša-an (military) division?
     • Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- to do, to make, to build, to cause by magic

       • Proto-Indo-European *kʷért root perfective

         • Celtic *kʷert

           • Brythonic …

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4. Word Family - Middle

   Introduction

   The particle *me meaning "with, at, between" is probably the origin of *médʰyos: "middle"—in turn the origin of many, many words.

   I wonder if *meh₁-: "to measure" and *meh₁d-: "to consider, to give advice, to heal" isn't also from *me. Germanic *midlą for example sometimes means "middle" but …

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5. Word Family - Elf

   Teaser

   albino, auburn, daub, oaf, elf, Alfred, Oberon, Elbe, Arpad, Alps

   Full Text

   • Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós white

     • Anatolian *albós

       • Hittite 𒀠𒉺𒀸 alpas cloud
     • Hellenic *alpʰós

       • Classical Greek ἀλφός alphós alphos, leprosy with white lesions

         • Latin alphos

           • English alphos
     • Italic *alβos white

       • Latin albus white, bright, pale, gray, fortunate

         • Central Romance

           • Dalmatian …

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6. Word Family - Five

   Introduction

   I've been doing Word Families for 5 years! In that time, I have made 150 families! So this week is *pénkʷe: "five".

   The *p-kʷ sequence in *pénkʷe leads to a set highly divergent forms. *kʷ is a highly variable sound on its own, becoming /kw/, /w/, /ʍ/, /k/, /t …

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7. Word Family - Beirut

   Introduction

   Beirut in my thoughts today.

   Beirut, "memory", "epicenter"

   Full Text

   • Semitic *biʔr- well, spring

     • Central Semitic

       • Arabic

         • Classical Arabic بِئْر biʾr well, spring

           • Classical Arabic بُؤْرَة buʾra focus, epicenter
         • Egyptian Arabic بير bīr well, shaft, manhole
         • Maghrebi Arabic

           • Maltese bir well
         • Peninsular Arabic

           • Hijazi …

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8. Word Family - Vicinity

   Teaser

   economy, vicinity, village, New York, sandwich

   Full Text

   • Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- settlement, to settle

     • Proto-Indo-European *wiḱéti settles, joins settlement

       • Balto-Slavic

         • East Baltic

           • Lithuanian viešė́ti to visit ^[1]
       • Indo-Iranian *wićáti

         • Indo-Aryan *wiśáti

           • Sanskrit 𑀯𑀺𑀰𑀢𑀺 viśáti enters
     • Proto-Indo-European *wewóyḱe is settled, is part of a settlement stative

       • Indo-Iranian *wawáyća

         • Indo-Aryan …

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9. Word Family - Singh

   January theme: Lions 🦁

   Teaser

   Singh, Sinhala, Singapore, shih tzu

   Full Text

   • Central Asian substrate *sVrng-??

     • Late Indo-European dialect *sinǵʰos

       • Armenian ինձ inj panther

         • Armenian ընձառյուծ ənjaṙyuc leopard
       • Indo-Aryan *sinȷ́ʰás ^[1]

         • Indo-Aryan

           • Sanskrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀳 sĩhá lion, hero ^[2]

             • Maharashtri 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀖 sĩgha

               • Tamil சிங்கம் ciṅkam lion, Leo …

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10. Word Family - Flower

    May theme: Plants 🌱

    Introduction

    I'm in the process of expanding this family, after merging the original Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃-: "flower" with Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ-: "to swell" (originally under title word a href="/word-family-budget.html"Budget/a)—and putting both under Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-: "to blow, to swell up".

    Teaser

    ball, blow, inflate, fluid …

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11. Word Family - Tree

    May theme: Plants 🌱

    Introduction

    In which "dryad" and "druid" are basically the same word, "trust" and "tryst", "trees" and "truce". Plus horse racing history.

    Teaser

    true, endure, tree, derby, larch, druid, dryad, tray

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *drew- hard, firm, strong, wood, tree ^[1]

      • Proto-Indo-European *droweh₂yéti

        • Germanic *trūwijaną

          • North Germanic

            • Old …

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12. Word Family - Ankylosaurus

    April theme: Dinosaurs and Friends🦕

    Introduction

    Ankylosaurus! And as an unexpected bonus, I found Azhdarchid pterosaurs deep in the family, too. Pterosaurs are probably my very favorite Mesozoic animals (stay tuned for next week!). Also in this family: various spiders and snakes and fears and sins in various languages.

    I …

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13. Word Family - Arbiter

    December theme: Pre-Classical Mediterranean 🏝

    Teaser

    Europe, Maghreb, Arabia, Erebus

    Full Text

    • Semitic *[ʕ/ġ]rb to depart, to set ^[1]

      • Central Semitic

        • Arabic ġaraba
        • Northwest Semitic

          • Aramaic ערובה ʿrōbā sunset, evening, (Sabbath) eve
          • Canaanite

            • Phoenician *'irōb

              • Homeric Greek Εὐρώπη Eurṓpē Western shore of the Aegean,\nmainland Greece\n(as opposed …

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14. Word Family - Column

    July theme: Architecture 🏛️

    Teaser

    column, excel, hill, Celsius, Stockholm, Sherlock Holmes

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *kelH- to rise, to be tall

      • Proto-Indo-European *kl̥néHti

        • Italic *kelnezi

          • Italic *eɣs-kelnezi

            • Latin excellere to elevate, to raise up, to rise, to exult, to excel

              • Italian eccellere to excel
              • French exceller to excel

                • English excel …

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15. Word Family - Sister

    May theme: Kinship terms 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

    To be uploaded

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16. Word Family - Bee

    March theme: Bees

    Teaser

    La bohème, bee, antisphexish

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *bʰewh₂- to hit, to strike

      • Proto-Indo-European *bʰewh₂ti primary verb

        • Proto-Albanian *bajā

          • Albanian bahe sling
        • Balto-Slavic

          • Lithuanian bausti to chastise, to punish
        • Celtic

          • Old Irish fo-botha threaten lit. "under-*beat"
        • Italic

          • Latin *fūtō

            • Latin confūtō

              • Western Romance

                • French

                  • English confute …

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17. Word Family - Rex

    December theme: Religion 📿

    Introduction

    This is the family that no matter how long I work on it, it's never done. That's what I get for trying to explore the possibility that two extremely important and productive roots may be connected: *h₂er-, related to cosmic order, and *h₃reǵ-, related to societal …

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18. Word Family - Aidan

    September theme: Fire 🔥

    Teaser

    ether, Aidan, edifice, anneal, estivation

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *h₂eydʰ- ignite, fire

      • Proto-Indo-European *h₂éydʰ-eti burning, igniting primary verb

        • Indo-Iranian *Háydʰati

          • Indo-Aryan

            • Sanskrit 𑀏𑀥𑀢𑁂 édhate to spread, to grow, to increase, to prosper
        • Hellenic

          • Classical Greek αἴθω aíthō To kindle, to light, to burn

            • Classical Greek αἴθων a …

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19. Word Family - Aqua

    August theme: Elements So Slow 🌎🌊

    Teaser

    Avon, Punjab, island, Scandinavia, aquarium, sewer, sober

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- water, body of water

      • Anatolian *h₂epo river

        • Hittite *hapa river

          • Hittite 𒄩𒉺𒀀 ḫa-pa-a toward the river
      • Balto-Slavic

        • Lithuanian ùpė river
      • Celtic *abonā river

        • Brythonic *aβon

          • Cumbric *avon

            • Cumbric *Ir Avon Fresh-Water or Green-River …

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20. Word Family - Liberty

    Holiday Bonus ⭐

    Introduction

    It is the right and proper state of a people or nation to be free, generous, honorable, hairy, libertine, and liberal children and vegetables.

    Teaser

    liberty, deliver, Loðbrok, Luther

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- growth, people

      • Proto-Indo-European *h₁léwdʰeti primary verb

        • Germanic *leudaną to sprout, to grow

          • East Germanic …

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21. Word Family - Fiona

    Introduction

    Celtic *windos: "white, bright", which may be a zero-grade nasal infix of *weyd-: "to see", and thus "visible, bright".

    Teaser

    Fiona, Jennifer, Guinevere, penguin, Vienna, wiener

    Full Text

    • Celtic *windos white

      • Brythonic *gwɨnn white

        • Welsh gwyn white, fair, shining, blessed

          • Welsh Gwendolen personal name: White-Ring (of hair)

            • English Gwendolen …

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