Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leb-

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

Reconstruction

The reconstruction is uncertain, and contains the rare PIE phoneme *b. A secondary form *lh₂P- also exists, with a variety of labials standing in for P. Moreover, the Iranian initial l- is irregular. The root therefore probably originates from a substrate language or is onomatopoeic (imitative of e.g. licking, smacking lips).

Root

*leb-

1. ^? to hang down loosely
2. lip
3. to lick

Reconstruction notes

The senses “to hang loosely, flap” and “to lick” appear unrelated, in which case they have been conflated since PIE times, but an intermediate sense “tongue” could bridge the semantic gap. Both are easily sound-symbolic if not onomatopoeic.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leb- (9 c, 0 e)

• *léb-ti ~ *l̥b-énti (athematic root present)
  • Proto-Anatolian: *lébti
    • Hittite: 𒇷𒅁𒍣 (le-ep-zi)
• *leb-oyé-ti?
  • Proto-Anatolian:
    • Hittite: 𒇷𒉺𒀀𒄑𒍣 (le-pa-a-iz-zi)

Unsorted formations

• Proto-Germanic: *lepô, *lipjô (“lip”)
• Proto-Germanic:
  • Old Norse: lafa
    • Icelandic: lafa
• Proto-Hellenic: *lobós
  • Ancient Greek: λοβός (lobós) (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *lap-
  • Proto-Iranian: *lap-
    • Middle Persian: [script needed] (lab)
      • Persian: لب (lab, “lip”)
    • Lurish:

      Northern Luri: ڵۋ (łü)

      Bakhtiari: لۋ (lü)

      Southern Luri: لۋ (lü)

    • Kurdish:

      Northern Kurdish: lêv (“lip”), liv (“movement, act of moving”)

      Central Kurdish: لێو (lêw, “lip”)

      Southern Kurdish: لێو (lêw, “lip”)

    • Zazaki: lew (“lip”)
• Italic: *l̥b-yóm, *l̥b-róm?
  • Proto-Italic: *labjom, *labrom
    • Latin: labium, labrum (“lip”)

From the root *lh₂P-

• *lh₂b- (root present)
  • Proto-Germanic: *lapaną (“to lick”)
    • Old High German: laffan
• *lh₂-né-b⁽ʰ⁾- ~ *lh₂-m-b⁽ʰ⁾- (nasal-infix present)
  • Italic:
    • Latin: lambō (“to lick”)
• *lh₂b-el-os
  • Proto-Germanic: *lapilaz (“spoon”)
    • Dutch: lepel
    • Old High German: leffil

Unsorted formations

• Albanian: lap (“to lick up water”)
• Armenian:
  • Old Armenian: լափեմ (lapʻem, “to lap up, lick up; to eat up greedily, devour”)
• Balto-Slavic:
  • Lithuanian: lapènti (“to eat greedily”)
  • Slavic:
    • East Slavic:
      • Russian: ло́пать (lópatʹ, “to gobble up”)
      • (possibly) Russian: лобзать (lobzatʹ, “to kiss”)
    • South Slavic:
      • Bulgarian: лапам (lapam, “to eat greedily”)
• Hellenic:
  • Ancient Greek: λάπτω (láptō, “to lick”)
  • Ancient Greek: λαφύσσω (laphússō, “to devour”)