Appendix:Proto-Indo-European Swadesh list

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This is a Swadesh list of words in Proto-Indo-European, compared with definitions in English.

Presentation[edit]

For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.

American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.

List[edit]

EnglishProto-Indo-European
edit (207)
1I (1sg)*éǵh₂
2you (2sg)*túh, *te
3he, she, it (3sg)*ís, *íh₂, *íd
4we (1pl)*wéy
5you (2pl)*yū, *yú
6they (3pl)*éyes
7this*só, *séh₂, *tód
8that*yós, *yéh₂, *yód
9here*ḱi
10there*h₂en
11who*kʷis (pron.), *kʷod (adj.)
12what*kʷis
13where*kʷesmi
14when*kʷodéh₂
15how
16not*n̥-, *ne
17all
18many*monogʰo-
19some*kaylo-, *solwo-
20few*peh₂w-
21other*h₂élyos, *h₂el-nó-
22one*(H)óynos, *(H)óykos, *(H)óywos, *sḗm
23two*dwóh₁; *dwó
24three*tréyes
25four*kʷetwóres
26five*pénkʷe
27big*méǵh₂s
28long*dl̥h₁gʰós
29wide*stelh₃ós
30thick*bʰenǵʰ, *tégus
31heavy*gʷréh₂us
32small*mey-
33short*mréǵʰus, *(s)ker-
34narrow*h₂enǵʰ-
35thin*ténh₂us
36woman*gʷḗn, *h₁esor-
37man (adult male)*h₂nḗr, *wiHrós
38man (human being)*mon-, *ǵʰmṓ
39child*ǵénh₁mn̥
40wife*pótnih₂
41husband*wiHrós, *pótis
42mother*méh₂tēr
43father*átta, *ph₂tḗr
44animal*dʰewsóm, *ǵʰwer-
45fish*dʰǵʰu-, *peysḱ-
46bird*h₂éwis
47dog*ḱwṓ
48louse*ḱ(o)nid-, *lewH-
49snake*h₂éngʷʰis, *(s)neh₁tr-
50worm*wr̥mis
51tree*dóru (genitive *dréws)
52forest
53stick*ǵʰasto-
54fruit
55seed*séh₁mn̥
56leaf*lewbʰ-, *bʰolh₃yom
57root*wréh₂ds
58bark (of a tree)*bʰérHǵos
59flower*bʰleh₃-
60grass*koyno-
61rope*roypnós
62skin*pel-, *twékos
63meat*mḗms, *krewh₂-
64blood*krewh₂-, *h₁ésh₂r̥
65bone*h₂óst, *kost-
66fat (noun)*smérus
67egg*h₂ōwyóm
68horn*ḱr̥nom, *ḱerh₂(s), *ḱerh₂sr̥, *koru
69tail
70feather*péth₂r̥
71hair*pulh₂-
72head*káput-, *gʰebʰelo-
73ear*h₂ṓws
74eye*h₃ókʷs
75nose*Hnéh₂s
76mouth*h₃éh₁os
77tooth*h₃dónts, *ǵómbʰos
78tongue (organ)*dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s
79fingernail*h₃negʰ-
80foot*pṓds
81leg*kroksko
82knee*ǵónu
83hand*ǵʰésr̥, *mar-
84wing*péth₂r̥
85belly*úderos
86guts*eh₁ter-
87neck*mon-
88back
89breast*peg-, *pstḗn
90heart*ḱḗr (genitive *ḱr̥dés)
91liver*Hyékʷr̥
92to drink*píph₃eti, *h₁egʷʰ-
93to eat*h₁ed-
94to bite*denḱ-, *h₁ed-
95to suck*dʰeh₁(y)-
96to spit*sp(y)ew-
97to vomit*wemh₁-, *h₁reug-
98to blow*h₂weh₁-
99to breathe*pnew-
100to laugh*(s)mey-
101to see*derḱ-, *weyd-
102to hear*ḱlew-
103to know*ǵneh₃-, *ǵnéh₃-sḱ-, *weyd-
104to think*memóne, *teng-
105to smell*h₃ed-
106to fear
107to sleep*swep-, *drem-
108to live*gʷeyh₃-
109to die*mer-, *dʰew-
110to kill*gʷʰen-
111to fight
112to hunt*weyh₁-, *sekʷh₃-
113to hit*pleh₂k-
114to cut*kr̥t-
115to split*skéydt, *skinédti
116to stab*dʰeygʷ-, *bʰod-
117to scratch*gerbʰ-
118to dig*dʰeygʷ-
119to swim*(s)neh₂-
120to fly*peth₂-, *gʷel-
121to walk*gʰredʰ-
122to come*gʷémt, *gʷm̥sḱéti, *gʷeh₂-
123to lie (as in a bed)*légʰyeti, *ḱéytor
124to sit*sédt, *sísdeti
125to stand*stéh₂t, *stestóh₂e, *stísteh₂ti
126to turn (intransitive)*wértti
127to fall*ḱh₂d-
128to give*déh₃t, *dédeh₃ti
129to hold*segʰ-
130to squeeze
131to rub*melh₂-
132to wash*lewh₃-, *neygʷ-
133to wipe
134to pull*tragʰ-
135to push
136to throw*swep-
137to tie
138to sew*syuh₁-
139to count*dol-, *del-
140to say*sekʷ-, *wéwket
141to sing*kan-
142to play
143to float*plew-
144to flow*plew-
145to freeze*gel-
146to swell*tewh₂-
147sun*sóh₂wl̥
148moon*mḗh₁n̥s, *lówksneh₂
149star*h₂stḗr
150water*h₂ekʷeh₂, *h₂ep-, *wódr̥
151rain*h₂ekmon
152river*h₂ékʷeh₂
153lake*h₂ep-
154sea*móri
155salt*séh₂ls
156stone*h₂éḱmō
157sand*sámh₂dʰos
158dust*pers-
159earth*dʰéǵʰōm
160cloud*nébʰos
161fog*snewdʰ-
162sky*dyḗws
163wind*ḱewero-, *h₂wéh₁n̥ts
164snow*snóygʷʰos
165ice*yeǵ-
166smoke*dʰuh₂mós
167fire*h₁eh₂ter-, *h₁n̥gʷnis, *péh₂wr̥
168ash*h₃és-no-, *h₃és-i-
169to burn*dʰegʷʰ-, *swel-, *h₁ews-
170road*pónth₁s
171mountain*men-, *bʰerǵʰ-
172red*h₁rewdʰós
173green*ǵʰelh₃-, *gʰreh₁-
174yellow*ǵʰelh₃-
175white*h₂elbʰós
176black*swordós, *h₂ems-, *kr̥snós
177night*nókʷts
178day*h₂eǵh-, *dei-n-
179year*yeh₁-, *wétos
180warm*tep-, *gʷʰer-
181cold*gel-
182full*pl̥h₁nós
183new*néwos
184old*sénos
185good*bʰed-, *h₁su-, *h₁wésus
186bad*h₂wap-, *dus-
187rotten*pu-
188dirty*swerd-
189straight*h₃reǵtós
190round
191sharp (as a knife)*h₁edʰ-, *h₂ḱrós
192dull (as a knife)*dʰwel-
193smooth
194wet*wed-
195dry*ters-
196correct*weh₁-
197near*h₁opi, *h₁epi, *h₂énti
198far*wi
199right*deḱs-
200left*leh₂ywós
201at*h₁epi, *opi, *h₂éd, *h₃ebʰi, *h₃bʰi
202in*h₁en, *h₁(e)ntér
203with*ḱóm, *pe, *me
204and*-kʷe, *de, *nu, *h₁é
205if
206because
207name*h₁nómn̥
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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