Proto-Indo-European

English

Etymology

proto- +‎ Indo-European

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌpɹəʊ̯təʊ̯ˌɪndə(ʊ̯)ˌjʊə̯ɹəˈpiːən/, /-ˌjɔːɹəˈ-/, (US) IPA^(key): /ˌpɹoʊ̯toʊ̯ˌɪndoʊ̯ˌjʊɹəˈpi.ən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Proper noun

Proto-Indo-European

1. (linguistics, uncountable) The reconstructed ancestor language or protolanguage of the Indo-European family of languages, which includes most European, Iranian, and Indian languages.

   The word mother comes from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.

   The plural English word brethren and the Farsi word that is pronounced as 'baradaran' both come from the same Proto-Indo-European root word.

Synonyms

• Indo-European
• (dated) Indo-Germanic, Proto-Indo-Germanic

Translations

ancestor language of most European and Indian languages

• Armenian: հնդեվրոպական նախալեզու (hy) (hndevropakan naxalezu)
• Basque: Aitzinindoeuropera
• Breton: indez-europeg
• Bulgarian: индоевропе́йски пра́език m (indoevropéjski práezik)
• Catalan: protoindoeuropeu m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原始印歐語／原始印欧语 (Yuánshǐ Yìn-Ōuyǔ)

• Czech: praindoevropština f
• Danish: protoindoeuropæisk, urindoeuropæisk
• Dutch: Proto-Indo-Europees (nl) n
• Esperanto: hindeŭropa pralingvo
• Faroese: frumindoevropeiskt n
• Finnish: indoeurooppalainen kantakieli, kantaindoeurooppa (fi)
• French: indo-européen commun (fr) m, indoeuropéen (fr)
• Galician: protoindoeuropeo m
• Georgian: პროტოინდოევროპული ენა (ṗroṭoindoevroṗuli ena), წინარეინდოევროპული ენა (c̣inareindoevroṗuli ena), პროტოინდოევროპული (ṗroṭoindoevroṗuli), წინარეინდოევროპული (c̣inareindoevroṗuli)
• German: Indogermanisch (de) n, Urindogermanisch (de) n
• Greek: πρωτοϊνδοευρωπαϊκά (el) pl (protoïndoevropaïká)
• Hebrew: פרוטו־הודו־אירופית‎ f (próto-hódu-eirópit)
• Hindi: आदिम-हिन्द-यूरोपीय भाषा (ādim-hind-yūropīya bhāṣā)
• Hungarian: indoeurópai alapnyelv
• Icelandic: frumindóevrópska f
• Interlingua: proto-indoeuropeo
• Irish: Próta-Ind-Eorpais f
• Italian: protoindoeuropeo (it) m
• Japanese: 印欧祖語 (ja) (in'ō sogo), インド・ヨーロッパ祖語 (ja) (indo-yōroppa sogo)
• Korean: 인도유럽조어 (indoyureopjo'eo), 원시인구어 (wonsiin'gueo)
• Latin: lingua indogermanica f, lingua prisca indoeuropaea f
• Lithuanian: indoeuropiečių prokalbė (lt) f
• Macedonian: праиндоевропски јазик m (praindoevropski jazik)
• Norwegian: protoindoeuropeisk (no)

  Bokmål: urindoeuropeisk (no)

  Nynorsk: urindoeuropeisk

• Persian: نیاهندواروپایی‎ (niyâ-hendo-orupâyi)
• Polish: praindoeuropejski (pl) m
• Portuguese: protoindo-europeu (pt) m
• Romanian: limba proto-indo-europeană f, stră-indoeuropeană f
• Russian: праиндоевропе́йский язы́к (ru) m (praindojevropéjskij jazýk)
• Serbo-Croatian: proto-indo-europski
• Slovak: praindoeurópčina f
• Slovene: praindoevropščina f
• Spanish: protoindoeuropeo (es) m
• Swedish: urindoeuropeiska (sv), protoindoeuropeiska, indoeuropeiska urspråket
• Turkish: Proto-Hint-Avrupaca
• Ukrainian: праіндоєвропе́йська f (praindojevropéjsʹka)
• Welsh: proto-indo-ewropeaidd

Noun

Proto-Indo-European (plural Proto-Indo-Europeans)

1. (anthropology, countable) A person who spoke the Proto-Indo-European language.

Translations

person who spoke the Proto-Indo-European language

• Dutch: Proto-Indo-Europeaan m
• French: Indo-européen (fr) m, Indoeuropéen (fr) m
• Georgian: პროტოინდოევროპელი (ṗroṭoindoevroṗeli), წინარეინდოევროპელი (c̣inareindoevroṗeli)
• German: Urindogermane m
• Hungarian: indoeurópai (hu)
• Irish: Próta-Ind-Eorpach m
• Lithuanian: indoeuropietis m, indoeuropietė f
• Macedonian: Праиндоевропе́ец (Praindoevropéec)
• Persian: نیاهندواروپایی‌زبان‎ (niyâ-hendo-orupâyi-zabân)
• Polish: Praindoeuropejczyk
• Romanian: indoeuropean m, indoeuropeană f
• Russian: праиндоевропе́ец (ru) m (praindojevropéjec)
• Slovene: Praindoevropejec m
• Spanish: protoindoeuropeo (es) m
• Turkish: Proto-Hint-Avrupalı
• Ukrainian: праіндоєвропе́єць m (praindojevropéjecʹ), праіндоєвропе́йка f (praindojevropéjka)

Adjective

Proto-Indo-European (not comparable)

1. (linguistics, anthropology) Of or pertaining to the Proto-Indo-European language, or the people who spoke it.

Translations

pertaining to the Proto-Indo-European language, or the people who spoke it — see also Indo-European

• Armenian: նախահնդեվրոպական (naxahndevropakan)
• Czech: praindoevropský
• Dutch: Proto-Indo-Europees (nl)
• French: indoeuropéen (fr) m
• Georgian: პროტოინდოევროპული (ṗroṭoindoevroṗuli), წინარეინდოევროპული (c̣inareindoevroṗuli)
• German: urindogermanisch, indogermanisch (de)
• Hungarian: indoeurópai (hu)
• Icelandic: frumindóevrópskur m
• Irish: Próta-Ind-Eorpach
• Macedonian: праиндоевропски (praindoevropski)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: urindoeuropeisk (no)

  Nynorsk: urindoeuropeisk

• Persian: نیا-هندواروپایی‎ (niyâ-hendo-orupâyi)
• Polish: praindoeuropejski (pl) m
• Portuguese: protoindo-europeu (pt) m
• Romanian: stră-indoeuropean m or n, proto-indoeuropean m or n
• Russian: праиндоевропе́йский (ru) (praindojevropéjskij)
• Slovene: praindoevropski
• Spanish: protoindoeuropeo (es)
• Swedish: urindoeuropeisk (sv), protoindoeuropeisk
• Turkish: Proto-Hint-Avrupa grubuna ait, Proto-Hint-Avrupa grubundan
• Ukrainian: праіндоєвропе́йський (praindojevropéjsʹkyj)

Related terms

• European
• Indian
• Indo-European language family
• proto-

See also

Proto-Indo-European is the hypothetical ancestor language of many languages, including the following major groups:

• Albanian
• Anatolian
• Armenian
• Balto-Slavic
• Celtic
• Germanic
• Greek
• Indo-Iranian
• Italic
• Tocharian

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Proto-Indo-European terms
• Appendix:Proto-Indo-European Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in Proto-Indo-European