Latin words from Proto-Indo-European
9 Latin words with Proto-Indo-European in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
coxa
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *koksā- (“hip”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *koḱs-h₂- (“limb, joint”). De Vaan notes that the word changed from masculine to feminine, perhaps under the…
equus
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *ekʷo-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eḱ-u- (“horse”). Following Kloekhorst, de Vaan takes the Anatolian forms to show an original u-stem, which the other…
hospes
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *χostipot-, a compound of hostis and the root of potis (“able”), so roughly “guest-master”. Wiktionary takes it further back to inherited from Proto-Indo-European…
ignis
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *n̥gʷni- (“fire”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnís (“fire”). De Vaan traces the development through the stages *Hn̥gʷni- > *Həngni- > *engni-, which…
mors
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *morti- (“death”), from inherited from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥-tí- (“death”), a noun formed from the root *mer- (“to die”), which also gave morior (“to die”) and…
pater
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *pater-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr (“father”). It is cognate with Oscan patir and Venetic pater, and further with Sanskrit पितर् (pitár-), Ancient…
rex
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *rēks, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs (“ruler, king”). It is cognate with Old Irish rí, Sanskrit राज् (rā́j-) and the ending Gaulish -rīx of names such…
sal
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sāls (“salt”), from inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sḗh₂l-s (“salt”). De Vaan explains the long vowel of the nominative against the short one of the genitive…
verbum
It is inherited from Proto-Italic *werþo- (“word”), from inherited from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁-dʰh₁-o- (“making a statement”), which Hackstein analyses as a compound of *werh₁- (“to say”) and…