Etymologically
Log in

*ḱel-

History Permalink

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

*ḱel-1 to hide

Confidence
Established

Reconstruction

LIV sets up 1.*k̑el- "to hide".[1] De Vaan reconstructs the thematic present *ḱel-e/o- "to hide",[2] and Matasović gives the Celtic verb the same root.[3]

Morphology

LIV lists a root aorist *k̑él-/k̑l-, a thematic present *k̑él-e-, a zero-grade i̯é-present *k̑l̥-i̯é- that could also be a denominative, a perfect and an iterative *k̑ol-éi̯e-, the last three with question marks.[1] De Vaan explains Latin cēlō (“to conceal”) as a denominative from a noun with lengthened grade, perhaps a root noun *ḱēl-/*ḱel-.[4]

Evidence

The verb is attested in Italic, Celtic and Germanic;[1][2] LIV and de Vaan add nouns from Indo-Aryan for "shelter".[1][4] LIV lists no Anatolian or Tocharian form.[1]

Competing analyses

McCone connected the ethnic name *Keltoi with this root, as a derivative of the participle "hidden";[3] Matasović calls the idea highly speculative.[3] The sense "to incline", which Pokorny set up as a separate root, belongs to *ḱley-, LIV's *k̑lei̯- "to lean on";[5][6] Kroonen thinks *klei- likely continues an old i-present to a root *kel-.[7]

Meanings

  1. to hide[1][2]

Kroonen glosses the root "to cover" when he derives the Germanic word for "hell" from it.[8]

Derivatives

  • Proto-Germanic *haljō- (“hell”), from *kol-ieh₂-, possibly from this root[8]
  • Latin cēlō (“to conceal”), a denominative[4]
  • LIV compares Latin cella (“store, larder”), if from *cēla[1]

Reflexes

  • Italic: Latin occulō (“to hide, to conceal”)[2]
  • Celtic: Old Irish ceilid (“hides”)[3]
  • Germanic: Old English helan (“to hide”), LIV's thematic present[1]

*ḱel-2 to become warm

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

LIV sets up 2.*k̑el- "to become warm" without a final laryngeal, because of the adjectives in *k̑l̥-tó- "warm".[9] NIL sets up *k̑el- "to become warm" but marks it as a questionable root.[10] De Vaan instead reconstructs Latin caleō (“to be warm”) as a stative *ḱlh₁-eh₁-, with a laryngeal.[11]

Morphology

LIV gives an essive *k̑l̥-h₁i̯é- for the Latin verb, and treats the Lithuanian nasal present as an innovation.[9] NIL lists the verbal adjective *k̑l̥-tó-, the abstract *k̑l̥-ti-, the d-stems *k̑el-ed- and *k̑el-d-, and the s-stem *k̑l̥-os-.[10] NIL's commentary says the root is clearly represented among the nouns only by the to-adjective.[10]

Evidence

NIL's forms come from Indo-Iranian, Baltic and Italic, and LIV adds Celtic; no Anatolian or Tocharian form is listed.[10][9]

Competing analyses

Middle Welsh clyd (“warm, sheltered”) is a past participle of this root for Matasović,[12] but for NIL it belongs rather to 1.*k̑el- "to hide".[10] LIV doubts that the Germanic word for "lukewarm" belongs here;[9] Derksen sees a laryngeal in those Germanic words, but reconstructs the Baltic root without one.[13] Smoczyński rejects NIL's equation of Lithuanian šil̃tas (“warm”) with a Vedic participle meaning "cooked", taking it as a derivative within Lithuanian of šìlti (“to grow warm”).[14]

Meanings

  1. to become warm[9][10]

Derivatives

  • Latin calor (“heat”), from the s-stem[10]
  • Lithuanian šil̃tas (“warm”), from the to-adjective[10]

Reflexes

  • Italic: Latin caleō (“to be warm”)[11]
  • Baltic: Lithuanian šil̃tas (“warm”)[13]
  • Celtic: Middle Welsh clyd (“warm, sheltered”)[12]
  • Iranian: Avestan sarəd-, which NIL lists and LIV connects only with a "perhaps"[10][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 1.*k̑el-
  2. ^ a b c d 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. occulō
  3. ^ a b c d Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 206
  4. ^ a b c 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. cēlō
  5. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. k̑el-2
  6. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *k̑lei̯-
  7. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 231
  8. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 204
  9. ^ a b c d e f Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 2.*k̑el-
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *k̑el-
  11. ^ 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. caleō
  12. ^ a b Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 215
  13. ^ a b Derksen, Rick (2015), Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 462
  14. ^ Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 1877
Cite this entry

“*ḱel-.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ine-pro/*%E1%B8%B1el-. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·