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*ḱerd-

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Etymology and origin of the Proto-Indo-European word *ḱerd-

Confidence
Established

Reconstruction

NIL sets up *k̑erd- "heart" with the nominative *k̑ḗr- and the oblique stem *k̑r̥d-.[1] Beekes writes *ḱērd, genitive *ḱr̥d-ós,[2] Ringe *ḱḗr ~ *ḱr̥d-,[3] de Vaan nominative *ḱērd, genitive *ḱrd-o/es,[4] and Mallory and Adams *k̂ērd.[5]

Morphology

It was a neuter root noun with the accent on the root in the direct cases and on the ending in the oblique cases.[3][6] In the nominative a final *d was lost after *r, with compensatory lengthening: *k̑érd became *k̑ḗr; it is unclear whether this rule was restricted to this word.[7] Kloekhorst reconstructs the Anatolian paradigm as *ḱēr, *ḱrd-i-ós, with an i-stem in the genitive,[8] which Beekes thinks is probably old.[9] In Germanic the word was remade as an n-stem.[9][10]

Evidence

Mallory and Adams count the word in eleven of their twelve groups.[11] It is attested in Anatolian and Tocharian.[8][12]

Competing analyses

The Indo-Iranian words begin with a reflex of *ǵʰ instead of *ḱ.[10][9] Kroonen leaves this unexplained,[10] Beekes explains it as contamination with another word, the old palatal being kept in the Vedic word for "trust",[9] and Sihler takes the Indo-Iranian forms to reflect *ǵʰerd-.[13] For Celtic, Matasović reports a root noun *kred-, genitive *krid-os, but prefers *kridyo- from *ḱr̥d-yo-, since the Welsh word for "centre" may be a ghost word.[6] Clackson uses the word to illustrate the theory that PIE had only two dorsal series, under which it is written *kerd-.[14]

Meanings

  1. heart[1][15]

Derivatives

  • *k̑r̥d-i̯ah₂-, in Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía, “heart”) and Tocharian[1]
  • *k̑r̥d-(i)i̯o-, in Old Irish cride (“heart”)[1]
  • *k̑erd-on-, the n-stem of Germanic[1]
  • *k̑erd-ah₂-, in the Slavic word for "middle"[1][9]
  • *ḱred-dʰeh₁- "to place in the heart", whence "to believe": Latin crēdō (“to entrust, to give credence”)[16]

Reflexes

  • Anatolian: Hittite ker (“heart, centre, core”)[8]
  • Tocharian: Tocharian B käryāñ (“hearts”), Tocharian A kri (“will”)[12]
  • Greek: Ancient Greek κῆρ (kêr, “heart”), Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía, “heart”)[9]
  • Italic: Latin cor (“heart”)[4]
  • Celtic: Old Irish cride (“heart”)[6]
  • Germanic: Proto-Germanic *hertōn- (“heart”)[10]
  • Baltic: Lithuanian širdìs (“heart”)[17]
  • Slavic: Proto-Slavic *sь̏rdьce (“heart”)[18]
  • Armenian: Old Armenian սիրտ (sirt, “heart”)[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *k̑erd-
  2. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011), Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd ed., revised by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam: Benjamins, p. 210
  3. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. cor
  5. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 185
  6. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 230
  7. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. ch. 121, Byrd
  8. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 469
  9. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. καρδία
  10. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 222
  11. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 98
  12. ^ a b Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 175
  13. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
  14. ^ Clackson, James (2007), Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, Cambridge: CUP
  15. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. ch. 124, Kölligan
  16. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. crēdō
  17. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 462
  18. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 485
  19. ^ Martirosyan, Hrach K. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of the Armenian Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 590

Descendants

Cite this entry

“*ḱerd-.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ine-pro/*%E1%B8%B1erd-. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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