Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pel-

This Proto-Indo-European entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-European

Root

*pel-

1. to cover, to wrap
3. skin, hide, cloth

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pel- (skin)‎ (28 c, 0 e)

• *pel-ḗn ~ *pl̥-nés
  • *pl-ēn-ih₂, *pl-ēn-(y)éh₂
    • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *plēnīˀ, *plēnjāˀ, *plēnāˀ (“membrane”)
      • Latvian: plēne
      • Lithuanian: plėnė̃, plėnìs
      • Old Prussian: pleynis
      • Proto-Slavic: *plěnà (see there for further descendants)
  • *pél-en-(e)h₂ ~ *pl-én-(e)h₂
    • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
      • Proto-Slavic: *pelenà (“diaper”), *pelna (see there for further descendants)
  • *pel-nó-m
    • Proto-Germanic: *fellą (“skin, hide”) (see there for further descendants)
  • *pl̥-n-eh₂
    • >? Proto-Italic: *palnā
      • >? Latin: palla (“a fine cloth”) (see there for further descendants)
  • *pel-n-i-s
    • Proto-Italic: *pelnis
      • Latin: pellis (“pelt, hide”) (see there for further descendants)
• *pél-mn̥
  • ⇒? *pel-mo-s
    • Proto-Germanic: *felmaz (“covering, skin, hide”) (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Germanic: *felmô (< collective *pél-mō)
  • Proto-Hellenic: *pélmə
    • Ancient Greek: πέλμᾰ (pélma, “sole (of the foot); stalk”)
      • Greek: πέλμα (pélma)
• *pél-sḱo-s
  • Proto-Albanian: *plaska
    • Albanian: plah (“to cover”, denominative)
• *pél-trom
  • >? Proto-Celtic: *ɸletrom (“skin, hide; leather”) (with vowel metathesis)
    • Proto-Brythonic: *lledr (see there for further descendants)
    • Middle Irish: lethar
    • →? Proto-Germanic: *leþrą (“leather”) (see there for further descendants)

Unsorted formations:

• Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  • Lithuanian: palà (“linen kerchief”)

Extensions

• *pel-k-
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
    • Old Prussian: pelkis (“cloak”)
  • >? Proto-Germanic: *felhaną (“to hide, conceal; to bury; to adhere”) (see there for further descendants)
• *pel-t-
  • ⇒? *polto- (or substantivized from *pol-to-)
    • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
      • ⇒ Proto-Slavic: *poltьno (“linen”) (see there for further descendants)
  • >? Ancient Greek: πέλτη (péltē) (via Thracian?) (see there for further descendants)
• *pl-ew- (or a u-variant of *pleh₂-?)
  • ⇒ *plēw-eh₂
    • ⇒? Proto-Balto-Slavic: *plēwāˀ (“membrane”)
      • Lithuanian: plėvė̃
      • Proto-Slavic: *plěva (see there for further descendants)
  • ⇒ *h₁epi-plow-yo-m
    • >? Proto-Hellenic: *epiplóyyon
      • Ancient Greek: ἐπίπλοον (epíploon) (see there for further descendants)
• ⇒? *pl-eh₂- or *pel-h₂-
  • ⇒ *pleh₂-s-o-s
    • Proto-Anatolian:
      • >? Hittite: 𒉺𒆷𒄴𒊭𒀸 (pa-la-aḫ-ša-aš, “a garment”) (or from *pleh₂- (“wide, broad, flat”))
  • ⇒ *pélh₂-t-^?
    • Proto-Hellenic:
      • >? Ancient Greek: *πέλας (*pélas) (or from Pre-Greek)
        • >? Ancient Greek: ἐρυσίπελας (erusípelas) (+ *h₁rewdʰ-ti-^?) (see there for further descendants)

Root

*pel- (perhaps the same as the above)

2. to fold

Extensions

• *pleḱ-

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pel- (fold)‎ (8 c, 0 e)

• *pl-okos
  • Proto-Iranian: *frakah
    • Parthian: (/⁠-frag⁠/, “-fold”)

      Manichaean script: -𐫜𐫡𐫃 (-frg) (e.g. 𐫅𐫇𐫜𐫡𐫃 (dwfrg /⁠dōfrag⁠/, “two-fold”) )

    • Classical Persian: پر (-pirr)

      Iranian Persian: پر (-per(r)), پل (-pel, “-fold”) (e.g. in Shushtari dialect دوپر (dôper, “two-fold”))

• *pl-o-
  • Proto-Hellenic: *-plós
    • Ancient Greek: -πλός (-plós) (e.g. ἁπλός (haplós), διπλός (diplós))
  • Proto-Italic: *-plos
    • Latin: -plus (e.g. simplus, duplus)
• *pé-pl-os (reduplicated thematic noun)
  • Proto-Hellenic: *péplos
    • >? Ancient Greek: πέπλος (péplos, “woven cloth, fabric, carpet”)
• *pel-t-
  • Proto-Germanic: *falþaną
• *pl̥-tu-
  • Proto-Celtic: *ɸaltu- (“joint”)
    • Old Irish: alt
      • Irish: alt
      • Scottish Gaelic: alt
• ⇒ *pl̥-h₂-t-yo-
  • Proto-Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: -πλάσιος (-plásios), -πλήσιος (-plḗsios) (e.g. τριπλάσιος (triplásios))
• Unsorted formations:
  • Proto-Albanian: *palā
    • Albanian: palë
  • Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: -πλόος (-plóos), -πλοῦς (-ploûs) (e.g. ἁπλόος (haplóos), ἁπλοῦς (haploûs), διπλόος (diplóos), διπλοῦς (diploûs))

Root

*pel-

2. to beat, push, drive

Extensions

• *pel-d-
  • *pel-d
    • Proto-West Germanic: *felt (see there for further descendants)
• *pel-em-
  • Proto-Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: πελεμίζω (pelemízō)
• *pel-h₂-

• *pl-eh₂-k-
  • *pl-(e)h₂-k-ye-ti
    • Proto-Hellenic: *plāťťō
      • Ancient Greek: πλήσσω (plḗssō)
      • Attic Greek: πλήττω (plḗttō)
        • → Greek: πλήττω (plítto)
    • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *plā́ˀktei
      • Proto-Slavic: *plakati (see there for further descendants)
  • *pl-eh₂-k-tro-
    • Proto-Hellenic: *plā́ktrom
      • Ancient Greek: πλᾶκτρον (plâktron), πλῆκτρον (plêktron) (see there for further descendants)

• *pl-eh₂-g-
  • *pleh₂-g-e-ti (thematic present)
    • Proto-Germanic: *flōkaną (see there for further descendants)
    • Proto-Italic: *plāgō
      • Latin: plāgō (see there for further descendants)
  • *pl(e)h₂-n-g-e-ti
    • Proto-Italic: *plāngō
      • Latin: plangō (see there for further descendants)
  • *pl(e)h₂-g-ye-ti
    • Proto-Hellenic: *plā́ďďō
      • Ancient Greek: πλάζω (plázō)
  • *pl(e)h₂-g-éh₂
    • Proto-Albanian: *plāgā
      • Albanian: plojë (“bloodshed, carnage”)
    • Proto-Hellenic: *plāgā́ (“slaughter”)
      • Ancient Greek: πλαγά (plagá), πληγή (plēgḗ, “blow (of a weapon)”)
    • Proto-Italic: *plāgā
      • Latin: plāga (“blow; slaughter; plague, misfortune”) (see there for further descendants)
  • Unsorted formations:
    • >? Proto-Germanic: *flekkaz (“mark, spot, blemish”) (see there for further descendants)
    • >? Proto-Germanic: *flekkô (see there for further descendants)

• *pl-eh₁-k-t-
  • *pl-éh₁-k-t-e-ti
    • Proto-Italic: *plēktō
      • Latin: plēctō

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pel- (beat)‎ (3 c, 0 e)

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pel- (drive)‎ (1 c, 0 e)

• *pol-ye-ti
  • Proto-Italic: *poljō
    • Latin: poliō
• *pol-eh₂-yé-ti
  • Proto-Italic: *polāō
    • Latin: (inter)polō
• *pl̥-yé-ti
  • Proto-Hellenic: *pə́ľľō
    • Ancient Greek: πάλλω (pállō)
• *pl̥-né-ti ~ *pl̥-n-énti
  • Proto-Italic: *pelnō
    • Latin: pellō
• *pl̥-tós
  • Proto-Hellenic: *plətós
    • Ancient Greek: παλτός (paltós) (by analogy to πάλλω)
  • Proto-Italic: *poltos
    • ⇒ Latin: pultō
• Unsorted formations:
  • Ancient Greek: πόλεμος (pólemos) (perhaps)

Root

*pel- (perhaps related to the above root, i.e. resulting from beating)

2. flour, dust

Derived terms

• Unsorted formations:
  • Proto-Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: πάλη (pálē)
    • Ancient Greek: πόλτος (póltos)
  • Proto-Italic:
    • Latin: puls
    • Latin: pulvis
    • Latin: pollen
  • Proto-Slavic: *pylъ
    • Polish: pył
    • Polish: pyłek
    • Polish: pylić
    • Polish: pylenie
    • Polish: pylnik

Root

*pel-

1. alternative reconstruction of *pelH- (“pale, gray”)

Further reading

• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN
• Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), Bern, München: Francke Verlag