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*nem-

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

*nem-1 to allot, take

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

LIV sets up 1.*nem- "to allot".[1] Kümmel's addenda replace it with *nemh₁-, following Peters and Nikolaev, because of Ancient Greek νέμεσις (némesis), νεμέτωρ (nemétōr), the Greek perfect stem from *ne-nm̥h₁- and the Latvian accent.[2] Beekes writes *nem- "dispense, distribute; take".[3]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a thematic present *ném-e-, in Ancient Greek νέμω (némō, “I deal out, allot”), Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman, “to take”) and Latvian ņemu (“I take”), a doubtful s-aorist in ἔνειμα (éneima), and a Gothic perfect 𐌽𐌰𐌼 (nam, “took”) that it counts as an innovation.[1] Kümmel adds a perfect ?*ne-nómh₁/nm̥h₁- and an iterative ?*nomh₁-éi̯o-, with Vedic forms meaning "strike".[2] Meier-Brügger cites the Gothic present and preterite for the e- and o-grades of *nem-.[4]

Evidence

Greek, Germanic and Baltic continue the verb,[1] while Anatolian has the noun Hittite lammar (“moment”),[5] and Tocharian has Tocharian B ñemek (“harvest”).[6]

Competing analyses

Kümmel places Sanskrit नमस् (námas-, “veneration”) here and not with 2.*nem-, and identifies Indo-Iranian *namH- "strike" with *nemh₁- through a slang sense "deal out".[2] Cheung instead derives *namH- from a separate *nemH₁- "to strike" and doubts that the Greek forms such as the word for "retribution" contain *nem- "to take, assign".[7] The Latvian verb is explained as a blend of verbs from *nem- and *h₁em-.[8]

Meanings

  1. to allot,[1] to dispense, to distribute[3]
  2. to take[3][6]

LIV derives Gothic "take" from a middle "to allot to oneself".[1] Matasović glosses the root "divide, take".[9]

Derivatives

  • r/n-stem *nom-r̥, *nom-n-, in Hittite lammar (“moment”).[5]
  • s-stem *nem-e/os- "apportioning, sacrifice" and *nom-o-, in Latin numerus (“number, rank, category”) and Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos, “custom, law”).[10]
  • *nemos "that which is taken", in Old Irish neim (“poison”), an etymology Vendryès rejects.[9]
  • *nēm-ok-om, in Tocharian B ñemek (“harvest”).[6]

Reflexes

  • Anatolian: Hittite lammar (“moment”).[5]
  • Tocharian: Tocharian B ñemek (“harvest”).[6]
  • Greek: Ancient Greek νέμω (némō, “to dispense, distribute”).[3]
  • Italic: Latin numerus (“number”).[10]
  • Celtic: Old Irish neim (“poison”).[9]
  • Germanic: Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman, “to take”), cited by LIV.[1]
  • Baltic: Latvian ņemt (“to take”).[8]

*nem-2 to bow, lean

Confidence
Established

Reconstruction

LIV sets up 2.*nem- "to bow, lean".[11] Mallory and Adams list *nem- "bend".[12]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a thematic present *ném-e- in Sanskrit नमति (námati, “bends”) and Avestan nəmaite (“bows, flees”), an s-aorist *nḗm/ném-s-, a perfect *ne-nóm/nm- and a causative *nom-éi̯e-, all with Indo-Iranian forms.[11] A se-present in Tocharian is an innovation.[11]

Evidence

LIV's forms come from Indo-Iranian and Tocharian only.[11]

Competing analyses

Stüber assigns Old Irish nemed (“sanctuary”) to this root,[13] whereas de Vaan derives it with Latin nemus (“wood, forest”) from *nem-o/es- "what is distributed, sacrifice".[14]

Meanings

  1. to bow, to lean,[11] to bend[12]

Reflexes

  • Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit नमति (námati, “bends, bows”).[15]
  • Iranian: Proto-Iranian *nam- (“to bend”).[16]
  • Tocharian: Tocharian B näm- (“bend, incline”).[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 1.*nem-
  2. ^ a b c Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 69
  3. ^ 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. νέμω
  4. ^ Meier-Brügger, Michael (2010), Indogermanische Sprachwissenschaft, 9th ed., with Matthias Fritz and Manfred Mayrhofer, Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 280
  5. ^ a b c Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Leiden: Brill, p. 519
  6. ^ a b c d Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 289
  7. ^ Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 306
  8. ^ a b Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 588
  9. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 298
  10. ^ 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. numerus
  11. ^ a b c d e Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 2.*nem-
  12. ^ a b Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 383
  13. ^ Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. *nebʰ-
  14. ^ 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. nemus
  15. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 136
  16. ^ Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 305
  17. ^ Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 357

Descendants

Cite this entry

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

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