Proto-Germanic words from Proto-Indo-European
251 Proto-Germanic words with Proto-Indo-European in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
*ab
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“away, off”): Kroonen explains the PIE word as a fossilised allative case *h₂p-ó of an ablauting root noun *h₂ep-s, genitive *h₂p-ós, in which most…
*agjō
It is from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”): Kroonen calls it a ieh₂-stem to the root, which he writes *h₂ek-, and Wiktionary starts from a PIE noun *h₂éḱ-ih₂ ~ *h₂ḱ-yéh₂-s. Ringe derives it…
*ahwō
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ (“water”). Kroonen reconstructs *h₂ékʷ-eh₂-, identical to Latin aqua (“water”), and calls the word a Germanic–Italic isogloss; Ringe starts from a…
*aiganą
Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ- (“ability, possession”), through a PIE perfect *h₂eh₂óyḱe. Kroonen starts from *(h₂e-)h₂óik-, with a query, LIV from the perfect *He-Hói̯k̑/Hik̑-…
*ainaz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos (“one”). Ringe takes it from PIE *óynos "single (?)", which is also the usual word for "one" in Italic, Celtic and probably Balto-Slavic; Kroonen…
*airi
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri (“early”); Ringe writes the PIE form *áyeri "in the morning", and Orel says it continues a locative *ai̯(e)ri.
*aiwaz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu, made into a thematic a-stem. Kroonen traces the Latin and the Germanic forms to a thematic *h₂ei-uo-, and the word itself to an athematic u-stem…
*alaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to nourish, to raise”): Kroonen calls it a strong verb to that root, from *h₂el-e-, and Wiktionary starts from the PIE third person *h₂életi.
*aldaz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós (“grown”), the old participle of the root *h₂el- "to grow, nourish"; Kroonen writes *h₂el-tó-.
*allaz
Wiktionary starts from a pre-Germanic *h₂elnós and has it, with a "perhaps", from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“all”). Kroonen reconstructs *h₂el-nó-.
*andi
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“opposite, in front”), the locative of Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“front, forehead”).
*anþeraz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énteros (“other”); Ringe starts from PIE *ánteros "other of two, second", apparently a derivative of *ályos "other" with an archaic l ~ n alternation.
*balluz
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, to swell”), through a PIE *bʰol-n- "round thing".
*bankiz
Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“to bend, curve, arch”), comparing Lithuanian bangà (“wave, swell”). Kroonen reconstructs no preform outside Germanic for it, and notes that it is…
*bannaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”). Wiktionary derives it from a pre-Germanic zero-grade nu-present *bʰh₂-nw-, the cluster *-nw- giving the geminate as in *kinnuz and *þunnuz…
*barō
Its origin is uncertain: Wiktionary tentatively has it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“to strike, to pierce”), comparing Latin forus (“gangway, plank”) and Russian забор (zabór, “fence”), or…
*bautaną
The root is traditionally reconstructed as from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeud-; Kroonen, however, thinks that the verb continues a Pre-Germanic *bauttan-, with the geminate taken over from the…
*beraną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, to bring”): Kroonen derives it from the PIE thematic present *bʰer-e-, and calls it an old PIE thematic verb. Wiktionary starts from the PIE third…
*beudaną
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéwdʰeti (“to be awake, aware”): Kroonen derives it from the thematic present *bʰéudʰ-e- and calls it a strong verb of IE origin.
*bi
Kroonen derives it from *h₁pi, comparing Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí) and a Sanskrit adverb "on, at, by", from *h₁epi; Wiktionary, which calls the origin disputed, gives this as one theory: inherited…
*bīdaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to trust”): Kroonen derives it from the European present *bʰéidʰ-e-, and Ringe starts from a PIE present meaning "to believe someone", which became…
*bindaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie, to bind”); Wiktionary starts from the PIE present *bʰéndʰ-e-ti.
*blaikaz
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”), through a Pre-Germanic *bʰloyǵ-os.
*blankaz
Köbler compares from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleg- (“to shine, to burn”), and Orel relates the word to Ancient Greek φλέγω (phlégō, “to burn”) and Latin flagrō. Kroonen calls it an adjective formed to…
*blēwaz
Wiktionary has it from a Pre-Germanic *bʰleh₁wos, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁- (“blue, gray, yellow”). Kroonen reconstructs *bʰléh₁-uo- and calls the word European.
*blīkaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleyǵ- (“to shine”): Kroonen derives it from the thematic present *bʰléiǵ-e- and classes it as a North European word.
*blōþą
Wiktionary has it, possibly, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to bloom”), as a neuter collective *bʰleh₃-tó-m.
*bōguz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵʰús (“arm”); Ringe writes *bhāǵhus, perhaps with *-ah₂-.
*bōks
Kroonen relates it to *bōkō "beech", an old Indo-European tree name, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂(ǵ)-o- (“beech”), seen in Ancient Greek φηγός (phēgós, “oak”) and Latin fāgus (“beech”)…
*brekaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”), continuing the thematic present *bʰrég-e-ti; Kroonen likewise starts from *bʰrég-e-. Ringe notes that the verb has no exact cognates in other…
*brōks
Wiktionary derives it from an earlier *brāks, Pre-Germanic *bʰrāg-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break, to crack, to split”), and compares Latin frangō. Kroonen calls the etymology disputed.
*brōþēr
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”), the Indo-European word for "brother": Ringe starts from PIE *bhráh2tēr, Kroonen from *bʰreh₂-ter-.
*brūkaną
Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewHg- (“to make use of”), cognate with Latin fruor (“to enjoy”). Ringe derives it from post-PIE *bʰruHgʷ- "use, enjoy", which lost the laryngeal with…
*brūnaz
Wiktionary tentatively derives it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“grey, brown”). Köbler sets up a PIE *bʰrouno- or *bʰrūno-.
*būaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, to be”): Ringe derives it from an innovative present *bhuH-ye/o- to PIE *bhuH- "become", and Wiktionary from PIE *bʰúHt.
*burdą
Wiktionary calls it of uncertain origin, possibly from an earlier *brezdą ~ *burzdnaz, and so from Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- (“tip, edge”) with a suffix *-dʰeti; alternatively from *bʰerH- "to…
*burgz
Ringe has it from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“high”), through a post-PIE root noun *bʰr̥ǵʰ- "hill"; Bammesberger likewise sees the zero grade of PIE *bʰergʰ- "high, lofty" generalised through the…
*buskaz
Its origin is uncertain: Wiktionary reports the traditional derivation from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to swell, to grow”), through a pre-form *bʰuH-s-ko-s "growth". Köbler calls its etymology…
*dagaz
In Kroonen's analysis, as Wiktionary reports it, the word is from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeǵʰ- (“day”), a root from which a heteroclitic noun for "day" was also formed. Kroonen himself sets up a PIE…
*dailiz
Wiktionary tentatively has it from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to do”), through *dʰ(h₁)-oy-lo-, but calls the derivation highly uncertain for lack of parallels; Kroonen allows the same…
*dalą
Kroonen reconstructs a European *dʰolh₂-o- and, given the possible link with Ancient Greek θαλάμη (thalámē, “den, lair”), derives it from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelh₂-. He compares Middle Welsh dol…
*daudaz
Köbler and Bammesberger derive it from Proto-Indo-European *dʰew- (“to die, to vanish”). Kroonen sets up a preform *dʰou(H)-tó-, Wiktionary a Pre-Germanic *dʰowHtós.
*dauþuz
Wiktionary has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dʰówtus (“death”), equivalent to *dawjaną "to die" with the suffix *-þuz; Kroonen sets up *dʰóu(H)-tu- and calls the noun a tu-stem created to…
*dēdiz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁tis (“act of putting”), through an intermediate *dʰētís with the accent on the suffix. Kroonen calls it a ti-stem derived from the root *dʰeh₁- of…
*dōną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to place”), the PIE verb "to put": Ringe notes that its meaning shifted to "make" and then to "do".
*draganą
Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to pull, draw, drag”), the traditional derivation, through a PIE *dʰrógʰ-e-ti, and notes that Kroonen leaves the origin open. Kroonen sets up…
*drepaną
Following Kroonen, Wiktionary has it ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- (“to grind, to crush, to kill”), a root elsewhere attested only in Balto-Slavic; Kroonen takes *drepan- as a…
*durz
It is from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwer- (“door”): Ringe derives *dur- from the PIE *dʰwór- ~ *dʰur- "door", with the zero grade generalised, and Wiktionary takes *durz as probably back-formed from…
*ebnaz
Kroonen, following Schaffner, takes it as a no-stem *h₁em-no- from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-, comparing Sanskrit अम्नस् (amnás, “just, just now, at once”); on this view the Germanic cluster *-bn-…
*ek
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂ (“I”), the PIE pronoun of the first person. Kroonen writes the PIE form *h₁eǵ-H-om, Wiktionary *eǵh₂óm, through an earlier *eka, and Orel *eĝō.
*etaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”), through the PIE third person *h₁édti.
*fadēr
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr (“father”), the PIE word for "father".
*fallaną
Kroonen has it from Proto-Indo-European *h₃elh₁- (“to fall”), as a univerbation of that root with the adverb Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó (“off”), after Praust and Neri; Wiktionary gives the same…
*falwaz
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *polHwós (“pale, gray”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *pelH-. Kroonen writes the PIE form *pol-uo-, and Heidermanns *poluo-.
*faraną
Wiktionary has it from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“going, passage”). Kroonen calls it an o-grade "intensive-iterative" verb and compares Sanskrit "to bring across" and Old Church Slavonic "to fly"…
*fastuz
Kroonen traces it to a PIE root *pHst-, which he analyses as a compound from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to become firm”) + *steh₂- (“to stand”), *ph₂ǵ-sth₂-, with the ǵ lost in the heavy cluster.
*fehu
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *péḱu (“livestock”). Kroonen calls it an ancient PIE u-stem derived from the root *pek- "to pluck wool", and concludes that the first livestock kept by the…
*felu
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pélh₁u (“much”), the neuter of a PIE u-stem. Kroonen and Wiktionary derive it from the root Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”), the root of *fullaz…
*fimf
It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe (“five”).
*finþaną
It is from Proto-Indo-European *pent- (“to go, to pass”): Kroonen derives it from a PIE thematic present *pént-e-, beside the noun *pónt-eh₁-s "path".