Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leyg-

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

*leyg-

2. to jump around, run around

   Synonyms: *lek-, *prew-, *sel- (“jump”)

3. to play, frolic

   Synonym: *leyd-

4. to shake, jitter; to dance

   Synonyms: *kʷeh₁t-, *sper-, *weyp-

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg- (jump) (10 c, 0 e)

• *lóyg-e-ti (o-grade root present?)
  • Proto-Germanic: *laikaną (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *ráyǰati
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *ráyȷ́ati
      • Sanskrit: रेजति (réjati), रेजते (réjate) (usually instead < *h₁leiǵ-)
• *loyg-éye-ti (iterative)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
    • Lithuanian: láigyti

Unsorted formations

• Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  • Latgalian: leiguot, Latgalian: leigons
  • Latvian: līgot
  • Lithuanian: lyguoti
• Indo-Iranian: *lig-e-
  • Iranian:
    • Persian: آلیختن (âlixtan)
    • Northern Kurdish: leystin, Northern Kurdish: lîstin

Root

*leyg-

2. similar, like
3. even, level (e.g. of a surface)

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg- (like) (35 c, 0 e)

Unsorted formations

• Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  • Lithuanian: lygiuoti
  • Lithuanian: lýgus (“equal, level, flat, even, like”)
  • Latgalian: leigt (“to agree, to make peace, to make a deal”)
  • Latvian: līdz (“flat”)
  • Latvian: līdzīgs (“alike, similar, equal, even”)
  • Latvian: līgt
  • Lithuanian: lygti
  • Old Prussian: līgint, Old Prussian: līginton
• Proto-Germanic: *līką (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Germanic: *līkāną (see there for further descendants)

Root

*leyg-

2. illness

Reconstruction notes

Also reconstructed as *h₃leyg- on the basis of Ancient Greek ὀλῐ́γος (olĭ́gos), with the absence of ὀ- (o-) from λοιγός (loigós) controversially explained as a sound law (compare μοιχός (moikhós), suggested to be from *h₃meyǵʰ-). Alternatively, the former is considered unrelated, or there were two separate PIE roots. Note also λοιμός (loimós, “plague”), which if related to λοιγός (loigós) would point to an even smaller root *ley-.

Alternative reconstructions

• *h₃leyg-

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leyg- (illness) (5 c, 0 e)

• *lig-eh₂-
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
    • Latvian: liga
    • Lithuanian: ligà
    • Samogitian: lėga
• *loyg-ó-s
  • Proto-Hellenic: *loigós
    • Ancient Greek: λοιγός (loigós, “destruction, ruin; deadly”)
• *lig-ó-s
  • Proto-Albanian: *liga
    • Albanian: lig
  • ⇒? Proto-Hellenic: *(o)ligós (uncertain derivation from *leyg-; more easily from *h₃leyg-)
    • >? Ancient Greek: ὀλῐ́γος (olĭ́gos, “few, little”), ὀλῐ́ος (olĭ́os) — later poetic, 𐠃𐠑𐠿𐠚 (o-li-kso-ne) — Cypriot
      • → English: oligo-
      • Greek: λίγος (lígos)

Unsorted formations

• Old Irish: líach (“wretched”)
• Lithuanian: li̇́egti (“to be sickly”)
• Lithuanian: ligóti (“to be ill”)
• Latvian: ligât (“to be ill”)
• >? Old Prussian: licuts (“small”)
• >? Old Armenian: աղքատ (ałkʻat, “poor, indigent”)