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1. Word Family - Elm

   Introduction

   *h₁elmos: "wych elm (Ulmus glabra)" shows up with identical meaning in all four of the Late Northwest branches, plus an Albanian with a slightly different meaning. It probably represents a LNW borrowing from an Eastern European substrate language, with Albanian borrowing the term separately from either the same or …

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2. Word Family - Kai

   Introduction

   A quick Austronesian word family inspired by my friend Kai's birthday: Malayo-Polynesian *tasik: "sea, coastal water, saltwater, tide" -> Hawaiʻian kai: "sea, saltwater, coast, tide".

   The Oceanic compound *taqu-tasi: "expert sailor" (lit. "sea-able, sea-knowing") is such a cool word, I included Austronesian *tsaqu: "to know how, to be able", too …

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3. Word Family - Peacock

   Introduction

   I was very excited to realize tawus and peacock were related!

   Full Text

   • Turkic *tiakï hen

     • Tungusic *tiaku hen

       • Manchu ᠴᠣᡴᠣ coko chicken
     • Turkic *tiakïgu hen, fowl

       • Oghur

         • Chuvash чӑх čăh hen
         • Hungarian tyúk hen
       • Common Turkic

         • Oghuz

           • East Oghuz

             • Turkmen towuk hen
           • West Oghuz

             • Azerbaijani toyuq hen, chicken …

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4. Word Family - Silhouette

   Introduction

   Étienne de Silhouette, a French politician of Basque ancestry, was the Controller-General of Finances under Louis XV in 1759. His measures to curb the national debt, notably by imposing new taxes on the rich and the nobility prompted a backlash and ultimately his dismissal after less than a year …

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