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*deuk-

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

*deuk-1 to pull, lead

Confidence
Established

Reconstruction

LIV sets up *deu̯k- "to pull", and Kümmel's addenda renumber it 1.*deu̯k- beside two new roots of the same shape.[1][2] Kölligan's chapter on the PIE lexicon gives *deu̯k- under "pull".[3] De Vaan reconstructs the present *deuk-e/o- "to draw",[4] Weiss *deuk- "lead",[5] and Beekes's handbook *deuk- "to carry".[6]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs an amphidynamic root present *déu̯k-/duk-, a zero-grade i̯é-present *duk-i̯é-, a sigmatic aorist *dḗu̯k/déu̯k-s- and a causative *dou̯k-éi̯e-; the Tocharian na- and se-presents and the perfects of Welsh and Gothic it counts as innovations.[1] Clackson uses the preterite of Old High German ziohan (“to pull”), with h in the singular and g in the plural, to illustrate Verner's Law.[7]

Kümmel strikes the Ossetic verb "to milk" as the Iranian reflex of the root present and puts a Wakhi verb "to milk" in its place.[2] He traces the Ossetic verb and its group to Proto-Iranian *dau̯č(a)i̯a-, perhaps influenced in meaning by the Proto-Indo-Iranian root for milking.[2] Cheung leaves open whether Proto-Iranian *dauč took the sense "to milk" from "to draw" or was only contaminated with this root.[8]

Evidence

LIV's list covers Italic, Celtic, Germanic, Albanian, Tocharian and Greek,[1] and Kümmel adds Iranian.[2] LIV notes Melchert's comparison of Hittite tukzi- (“cultivation of plants and animals”).[1] The Greek verb is doubtful: Beekes reports that the comparison with Latin dūcō assumes intensive reduplication, while Chantraine's dictionary gives no etymology, and the variation in the first syllable may point to a Pre-Greek origin.[9]

Competing analyses

Kroonen calls *deuk- a "European root",[10] and Ringe calls it post-PIE.[11]

Meanings

  1. to pull[1][3]

De Vaan glosses the present "to draw", and Weiss and Sihler give "lead" or "draw, lead".[4][5][12] Tocharian B tsuk- means "to drink", and the Iranian verbs "to milk".[1][2]

Derivatives

  • The root noun *-duk- in compounds: Latin dux (“leader”).[4][5]

Reflexes

  • Anatolian: perhaps Hittite tukzi- (“cultivation”), after Melchert, from a note in LIV.[1]
  • Italic: Latin dūcō (“to draw, lead”).[4]
  • Celtic: Middle Welsh dwyn (“to lead, bring”).[13][4]
  • Germanic: Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽 (tiuhan, “to lead, guide”).[10]
  • Albanian: Albanian nduk (“to draw out, pull”).[14][10]
  • Tocharian: Tocharian B tsuk- (“to drink”), connected with the root since Lane.[15]

*deuk-2 to appear

Confidence
Uncertain

Reconstruction

Kümmel's addenda add a new root 2.*deu̯k- "to shine, appear", after Joseph.[2]

Morphology

Kümmel reconstructs a middle present *duk-, in Hittite dukk- (“is visible, is seen; is important”) and, thematised, in Albanian duketë (“appears”).[2] After Barnes he adds nouns in Greek, Old Irish dúil (“thing, being”) and Middle Welsh dull (“form, manner”).[2] Beekes names Ancient Greek Πολυδεύκης (Poludeúkēs) among the Greek words with this element.[16]

Evidence

The root rests on Anatolian, Albanian and, through Barnes's nouns, Greek and Celtic.[2] Kümmel notes its likeness to the synonymous *dekʷ-, perhaps a split of one base before PIE, and a possible problem with the missing palatalisation in Albanian.[2]

Competing analyses

Kloekhorst follows Schindler in connecting Hittite tukk- (“to be visible”) with tuekk- (“body”) and a root *tuek- "to be visible", and reconstructs *tuk-ó.[17] Mudge's *dʰeugʰ- "to be of use" he finds weak in meaning and difficult in form.[17] Kümmel too finds the link with *dʰeu̯gʰ- problematic, in both form and meaning.[2] For the Greek nouns, Beekes posits a noun *δεῦκος with no known cognates, and compares a Hesychian gloss meaning "considers".[16] He rejects the link with Latin dūcō.[16] Mallory and Adams list Bader's 1986 article on a root *deu-k- "to shine, see".[18]

Meanings

  1. to shine, to appear[2]

Reflexes

  • Anatolian: Hittite tukk- (“to be visible”).[17][2]
  • Greek: Ancient Greek Πολυδεύκης (Poludeúkēs), from Kümmel's list.[2][16]
  • Celtic: Old Irish dúil (“thing, being”), from Kümmel's list.[2]
  • Albanian: Albanian duketë (“appears”), from Kümmel's list.[2]

*deuk-3 to sew

Confidence
Uncertain

Reconstruction

Kümmel's addenda add a new root, with a question mark, ?3.*deu̯k- "to sew", with a present *déu̯k-e-.[2]

Evidence

The verb is found only in West Iranian, after Barnes.[2] Cheung calls the root exclusively West Iranian, and probably a loan from a substrate language.[19]

Meanings

  1. to sew[2]

Reflexes

  • Iranian: Middle Persian dōz- (“to sew”).[2][19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *deu̯k-
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 20
  3. ^ a b 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. 2251
  4. ^ a b c d e 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. dūcō
  5. ^ a b c Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
  6. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2011), Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd ed., revised by Michiel de Vaan, Amsterdam: Benjamins, p. 144
  7. ^ Clackson, James (2007), Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, Cambridge: CUP
  8. ^ Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 91
  9. ^ 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. δαδύσσομαι
  10. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 515
  11. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  12. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
  13. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 109
  14. ^ Demiraj, Bardhyl (1997), Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz, Amsterdam / Atlanta: Rodopi (Leiden Studies in Indo-European 7), p. 291
  15. ^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 809
  16. ^ a b c d 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. ἀδευκής
  17. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 896
  18. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 566
  19. ^ a b Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 92
Cite this entry

“*deuk-.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ine-pro/*deuk-. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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