Indo-European Lexicon
PIE Etymon and IE Reflexes
Below we display: a Proto-Indo-European (PIE) etymon adapted from Pokorny, with our own English gloss; our Semantic Field assignment(s) for the etymon, linked to information about the field(s); an optional Comment; and Reflexes (derived words) in various Indo-European languages, organized by family/group in west-to-east order where Germanic is split into West/North/East families and English, our language of primary emphasis, is artificially separated from West Germanic. IE Reflexes appear most often as single words with any optional letter(s) enclosed in parentheses; but alternative full spellings are separated by '/' and "principal parts" appear in a standard order (e.g. masculine, feminine, and neuter forms) separated by commas.
Reflexes are annotated with: Part-of-Speech and/or other Grammatical feature(s); a short Gloss which, especially for modern English reflexes, may be confined to the oldest sense; and some Source citation(s) with 'LRC' always understood as editor. Keys to PoS/Gram feature abbreviations and Source codes appear below the reflexes; at the end are links to the previous/next etyma [in Pokorny's alphabetic order] that have reflexes.
All reflex pages are currently under active construction; as time goes on, corrections may be made and/or more etyma & reflexes may be added.
Pokorny Etymon: bheu-, bheu̯ə-, bhu̯ā-, bhu̯ē- : bhō̆u- : bhū- 'to be, exist; grow, prosper'
Semantic Field(s): to Grow, Strong, Mighty, Powerful
Indo-European Reflexes:
| Family/Language | Reflex(es) | PoS/Gram. | Gloss | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | ||||
| Old Irish: | both | n.fem | hut, bothy | AHD/GED |
| bōi | vb.1.sg.pret | was | GED | |
| Irish: | bo(i)th | n | booth | CDC |
| Gaelic: | buth | n | booth | CDC |
| Welsh: | bod | n | hut | GED |
| bum | vb.pret.1.sg | was | TLL | |
| English | ||||
| Old English: | bēam | n.str.masc | tree, beam | GED |
| bēo, bist, biþ | vb.anom.sg | am, are, is | TLL | |
| bēon, biōn | vb.anom | to be | ASD/W7 | |
| bēor | n.str.neut | beer | GED | |
| bēoþ | vb.anom.pl | are | TLL | |
| bēow | n | barley | GED | |
| bōgian | vb.wk | to dwell, inhabit, settle (at) | GED/RPN | |
| bold | n.neut | house, dwelling, building | AHD/ASD | |
| botl | n.neut | hall, house, abode, dwelling | ASD/IEW | |
| bū, bȳ | n | home, dwelling | ASD/GED/RPN | |
| bū(g)an, būde, bȳne | vb.irr | to live, dwell, inhabit | ASD | |
| būr | n.neut | bower, shelter | ASD | |
| būw(i)an | vb | to dwell, cultivate | GED | |
| byldan | vb | to build | W7 | |
| bȳre | n | byre | W7 | |
| cwic-bēam | n.masc | quick-beam, lit. quick-tree (type of poplar?) | ASD | |
| gebūr | n.masc | dweller | ASD/W7 | |
| hūsbonda, hūsbunda | n.masc | husband, master of house | ASD/W7 | |
| impe | n.fem | imp, scion | ASD | |
| impian | vb | to imp | W7 | |
| nēahgebūr | n.masc | neighbor, lit. near-dweller | ASD/W7 | |
| Middle English: | be(e), beo | vb.anom.1.sg | am | CDC |
| beem, beme | n | beam | CDC/W7 | |
| be(e)n, beon | vb.anom | to be | CDC/MEV/W7 | |
| be(e)st, beost, bist | vb.anom.2.sg | are | CDC | |
| be(o)th | vb.anom.3.sg | is | CDC | |
| bilawe | n | bylaw | W7 | |
| bilden | vb | to build | W7 | |
| bilt | n | dwelling | MEV | |
| bothe | n | booth | W7 | |
| boun(e), bowne | adj | bound, prompt | MEV/W7 | |
| *bour | n | boor, dweller | CDC | |
| bour(e), bower | n | bower, abode | MEV/W7 | |
| byre, bere | n | byre | MEV/W7 | |
| future | n | future | W7 | |
| husbonde | n | husband | W7 | |
| impen | vb | to imp | W7 | |
| neighbor | n | neighbor | W7 | |
| phisik | n | medical/natural science | W7 | |
| phisiken | vb | to administer medical treatment | W7 | |
| English: | apophysis | n | expanded/projecting part of organism | AHD/W7 |
| be, been | vb.anom | to exist, have same connotation as | AHD/W7 | |
| beam | n | long piece of heavy timber used in construction | AHD/W7 | |
| Boer | prop.n | white South African of Dutch descent; rebel in Boer War | LRC | |
| bondage | n | villein tenure/service | AHD/W7 | |
| boodle | n | group of people | AHD/W7 | |
| boom | n | spar used to extend foot of sail/facilitate mooring/handling of cargo | AHD/W7 | |
| boor | n | peasant | AHD/W7 | |
| booth | n | temporary shelter for livestock/field workers | AHD/W7 | |
| bothy | n | booth, basic shelter | AHD | |
| bound | adj | ready | AHD/W7 | |
| bower | n | attractive dwelling/retreat | AHD/W7 | |
| build, built | vb.wk | to construct, form by joining materials into composite whole | AHD/W7 | |
| bumpkin | n | awkward, unsophisticated rustic | AHD/W7 | |
| bumpkin | n | projecting boom of ship | AHD/W7 | |
| bustle | n | noisy excited activity | AHD | |
| bustle | vb | to (cause to) move busily/energetically | AHD | |
| Butterbur(r) | prop.n | Bree surname in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| bylaw | n | rule adopted by organization for government and regulation of affairs | AHD/W7 | |
| byre | n | cow barn | AHD/W7 | |
| diaphysis | n | shaft of long bone | AHD/W7 | |
| diphyodont | adj | having 2 sets of teeth | AHD/CDC | |
| epiphysis | n | separately ossifying bone part later ankylosed to main part | AHD/W7 | |
| fiat | n | command that creates | AHD/W7 | |
| forebear | n | forefather, ancestor | AHD/W7 | |
| future | adj | (that) which is to be | AHD/W7 | |
| Grimbold | prop.n | Rohan marshal in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| Hardbottle | prop.n | Shire village in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| husband | n | married man | AHD/W7 | |
| hypophysis | n | pituitary body | AHD/W7 | |
| imp | n | bud, shoot, graft | W7 | |
| imp | vb.trans | to graft/repair (with feather) | AHD/W7 | |
| metaphysics | n | philosophy of ontology/cosmology/epistemology | W7 | |
| Monophysite | prop.n | member of certain early Christian heretical sect | LRC | |
| neighbor | n | one living/located near another | AHD/W7 | |
| neophyte | n | proselyte, new convert | AHD/W7 | |
| phyle | n | largest (ancient Athenian) political subdivision | AHD/W7 | |
| phyletic | adj | phylogenetic | AHD | |
| phylogenetic | adj | re: phylogeny | AHD | |
| phylogeny | n | evolution of genetically related organisms | AHD/W7 | |
| phylum | n | line of descent within group | AHD/W7 | |
| physic | vb.trans | to treat with/administer medicine to | AHD/W7 | |
| physics | n | art/practice of healing disease | AHD/W7 | |
| physi(o)- | pfx | nature | AHD/W7 | |
| physique | n | bodily makeup, referring to strength/structure/appearance/constitution | AHD/W7 | |
| -phyte | n.pfx | plant having (certain) habitat/characteristic | AHD/W7 | |
| phyt(o)- | pfx | plant | AHD | |
| phyton | n | plant leaf with stem | AHD/W7 | |
| Quickbeam | prop.n | Ent a.k.a. Bregalad in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| symphysis | n | somewhat movable bone articulation in body's median plane | AHD/W7 | |
| tracheophyte | n | vascular plant having conducting system of phloem/xylem | AHD/W7 | |
| American English: | caboodle | n | boodle | CDC |
| British English: | quick-beam | n.dial | mountain-ash | OED |
| Scots English: | bear | n | one who exists | W7 |
| been | vb.anom | to be | W7 | |
| bothy | n | bunkhouse, small cottage | LRC | |
| buith | n | booth | CDC | |
| forebear | n | ancestor | W7 | |
| West Germanic | ||||
| Old Frisian: | bām | n.str.masc | tree | GED |
| bem | vb.anom.1.sg | am | CDC | |
| bōgia | vb.wk | to dwell, inhabit | GED | |
| bouwje | vb | to dwell, inhabit | ASD | |
| bowa, buwa | vb | to dwell, cultivate | GED | |
| Frisian: | boer | n.masc | boor, farmer, dweller | ASD |
| North Frisian: | baem, beamme, bjemme | n | tree | ASD |
| Middle Dutch: | beboer | n | rustic, farmer, husbandman | CDC |
| bōdel | n | riches, property; boodle | AHD | |
| bomme | n | cask | W7 | |
| bommekijn | n | little barrel | W7 | |
| ghebure, ghebuer | n | neighbor | CDC | |
| Dutch: | ben | vb.anom.1.sg | (I) am | TLL |
| bent | vb.anom.2.sg | (you) are | TLL | |
| boedel | n | lot, estate | W7 | |
| Boer | prop.n | Boer | W7 | |
| boer | n.masc | boor, farmer, dweller | ASD/W7 | |
| boerderij | n | farm | TLL | |
| boom | n.masc | tree; bar, pole, beam, boom | ASD/W7 | |
| bouw | n.masc | bower, dwelling | ASD | |
| bouwen | vb | to dwell | RPN | |
| buur | n | neighbor | CDC | |
| gebouw | n | building | TLL | |
| Flemish: | boom | n | tree | W7 |
| boomken | n | shrub | W7 | |
| Old Saxon: | bist | vb.anom.2.sg | are | CDC |
| bium | vb.anom.1.sg | am | CDC | |
| bōm | n.str.masc | tree | GED | |
| bū | n.neut | home, property | ASD/GED | |
| būan | vb | to dwell, cultivate | GED/RPN | |
| Middle Low German: | bōde | n.str.fem | booth, hut, tent, abode | GED |
| bōm | n | tree | CDC | |
| (ge)būr | n | boor, husbandman | CDC | |
| Low German: | boom | n | tree; bar, pole, beam, boom | CDC |
| buur, būr | n.masc | boor, farmer; neighbor, citizen | ASD/CDC | |
| Old High German: | bim, pim | vb.anom.1.sg | am | CDC/W7 |
| bior | n.str.neut | beer | GED | |
| boum, poum | n.str.masc | tree | ASD/GED | |
| bū | n.str.neut | home, dwelling, cultivation | GED | |
| būr | n.str.masc | cage, building | GED | |
| bū(w)an, būen | vb | to dwell, cultivate | GED/RPN | |
| gibūr(o) | n | boor, rustic, husbandman | CDC | |
| impfōn | vb | to imp, graft | W7 | |
| nāhgibūr | n | neighbor | W7 | |
| pis(t) | vb.anom.2.sg | are | CDC | |
| pū | n.masc | dwelling | ASD | |
| Middle High German: | bin | vb.anom.1.sg | am | ASD |
| bist | vb.anom.2.sg | are | CDC | |
| boum | n.masc | tree | ASD | |
| bouwen, b(i)uwen | vb | to dwell, inhabit | ASD | |
| bū, bou | n.masc | dwelling | ASD | |
| būde, buode | n.str.fem | booth, hut, tent, abode | GED | |
| gebūr(e) | n | boor, rustic, husbandman | CDC | |
| German: | Bau | n.masc | building | ASD |
| bauen | vb | to build; dwell, inhabit | ASD | |
| Bauer | n.masc | boor, farmer | ASD | |
| Bauer | n.masc/neut | cage, bower, aviary | ASD/GED | |
| Bauernhof | n | farm | TLL | |
| Baum | n.masc | tree | ASD | |
| bin | vb.anom.1.sg | am | ASD | |
| bist | vb.anom.2.sg | are | TLL | |
| Bude | n.fem | booth, hut, shack | LRC | |
| Bure | prop.n.masc | Boer | LRC | |
| Gebäude | n | building | TLL | |
| North Germanic | ||||
| Old Norse: | bōndi | n | yeoman, franklin, husband | W7 |
| búa, búinn | vb | to live, prepare, be ready; settle | LRC | |
| būþ | n | booth | W7 | |
| byggja, bygð | vb | to build; dwell, inhabit | LRC | |
| bȳlög | n | bylaw, rule adopted by town | W7 | |
| bȳr | n | town | W7 | |
| hūsbōndi | n | husband, householder | W7 | |
| Old Icelandic: | baðmr | n.str.masc | tree | GED |
| ból | n | lair | RPN | |
| bōl | n.neut | dwelling, animal lair | GED | |
| bū | n | dwelling, household; farming | GED/RPN | |
| būa | vb | to dwell, prepare | GED | |
| būð | n.str.fem | booth, hut, tent, abode | GED | |
| būr | n.str.neut | chamber, building for stores | GED | |
| bygg | n | barley | GED | |
| byggva | vb | to inhabit | GED | |
| bȳr, bœr | n.str.masc | house, farm | GED | |
| bǫrr | n.str.masc | tree | GED | |
| Icelandic: | baðmr | n.masc | tree | ASD |
| bū | n.neut | dwelling | ASD | |
| būa, bōa | vb | to dwell, inhabit | ASD/CDC | |
| būð | n | booth, dwelling | CDC | |
| būr | n.neut | bower | ASD | |
| Norwegian: | bomm, bumm, bumb | n | boom, bar | CDC |
| Old Danish: | bōþ | n | booth, stall, dwelling | AHD |
| Danish: | bo | n.masc/fem | dwelling | ASD |
| bod | n | booth, stall | CDC | |
| bo(e) | vb | to dwell | ASD/GED | |
| bom | n | boom, beam, bar, rail, perch | CDC | |
| bonde | n | farmer | LRC | |
| buur | n.neut | bower | ASD | |
| by | n | town | TLL | |
| bygning | n | building | TLL | |
| Old Swedish: | bagn | n.str.masc | tree | GED |
| bo | vb | to dwell | GED | |
| bōþ | n.str.fem | booth, hut, tent, abode | GED | |
| Swedish: | bo | n.masc | dwelling | ASD |
| bo | vb | to dwell, inhabit | ASD | |
| bod | n | booth, stall | CDC | |
| bom | n | boom, beam, bar, rail, perch | CDC | |
| bonde | n | farmer | TLL | |
| bur | n.masc | bower | ASD | |
| by | n | village | TLL | |
| byggnad | n | building | TLL | |
| East Germanic | ||||
| Gothic: | bagms | n.masc | tree | ASD/GED |
| bauan | vb.str.VII | to live, dwell, inhabit | GED/RPN | |
| Italic | ||||
| Latin: | fiat | vb.subj | let it be | W7 |
| fio, fieri | vb.defc | to become, be made | LRC | |
| fuī, fuisti, fuit | vb.pret.sg | was, were | W7 | |
| futurus | vb.ptc | about to be | W7 | |
| physica | n.neut.pl | physics, natural science | W7 | |
| physicus | adj | of nature | W7 | |
| superbus, superba, superbum | adj | haughty | LRC | |
| Late Latin: | neophytus | n.masc | beginner | W7 |
| Medieval Latin: | Monophysita | n.fem | Monophysite | W7 |
| New Latin: | apophysis | n.fem | bringing forth | W7 |
| byre | n.fem | a cow barn | W7 | |
| diaphysis | n.fem | the shaft of a long bone | W7 | |
| epiphysis | n.fem | separated ossification of a bone | W7 | |
| hypophysis | n.fem | pituitary body | W7 | |
| phylum | n.neut | a direct line of descent withing a group | W7 | |
| phyton | n.neut | a structural unit of a plant | W7 | |
| symphysis | n.fem | state of growing together | W7 | |
| Tracheophyta | n.fem | genus name | W7 | |
| Spanish: | fuí, fuiste, fué | vb.pret.sg | was, were | TLL |
| Old French: | fisique | n.fem | medicine | W7 |
| futur | adj | about to be | W7 | |
| French: | fus, fut | vb.pret.sg | was, were | TLL |
| physique | adj | physical, bodily | W7 | |
| Italian: | fui, fosti, fu | vb.pret.sg | was, were | TLL |
| Baltic | ||||
| Old Prussian: | buttan | n | house | GED |
| buwinanti | vb.2.pl.imp | dwell! | GED | |
| Old Lithuanian: | bu | vb.pret | was | GED |
| Lithuanian: | bùtas | n | house | GED |
| bū́ti, yrà, bùvo | vb | to be | LRC | |
| bū́ti | vb | to be | GED | |
| bū̃vis | n | life, existence | GED | |
| Latvian: | būt, esmu, biju | vb | to be | LRC |
| Slavic | ||||
| Polish: | buda | n | booth | CDC |
| Czech: | bouda | n | booth | CDC |
| byt | n | home | GED | |
| Sorbian: | buda | n | booth | CDC |
| Old Church Slavonic: | by | vb.pret | was | GED |
| byvati, byvajǫ, byvaješi | vb | to be | LRC | |
| byti, bǫdǫ, bǫdeši | vb | to be, become | LRC | |
| prěbyti, prěbǫdǫ, prěbǫdeši | vb | to abide, remain | LRC | |
| Russian: | budka | n | booth | CDC |
| Albanian | ||||
| Albanian: | buj | vb | to spend the night | RPN |
| Hellenic | ||||
| Greek: | apophuein | vb | to send out branches | AHD |
| apophusis | n | branch, apophysis | AHD | |
| diaphyesthai | vb | to grow between | W7 | |
| diaphysis | n.fem | spinous process of the tibia | W7 | |
| epiphyesthai | vb | to grow on | W7 | |
| epiphysis | n.fem | growth | W7 | |
| ἔφῡ | vb.aor | was | GED | |
| neophytos | adj | newly planted, newly converted | W7 | |
| symphyesthai | vb | to grow together | W7 | |
| symphysis | n.fem | state of growing together | W7 | |
| hypophyein | vb | to grow beneath | W7 | |
| hypophysis | n.fem | attachment underneath | W7 | |
| phyesthai | vb | to grow | W7 | |
| φύη | n.fem | stature | LRC | |
| phylē | n.fem | tribe | W7 | |
| phylon | n.neut | tribe, race | W7 | |
| φῦμα | n | growth | GED | |
| phynai | vb | to be born, be by nature | W7 | |
| φύομαι | vb | to become | GED | |
| physika | n.neut.pl | physical things, natural things | W7 | |
| physikē | n.fem | study of nature | W7 | |
| physikos | adj | of nature | W7 | |
| physis | n.fem | growth, nature | W7 | |
| phyton | n.neut | plant | W7 | |
| φύω | vb | to grow, become, bring forth | LRC | |
| φωλεός | n | cave inhabited by wild animals | GED | |
| Medieval Greek: | Monophysitēs | adj | Monophysite | W7 |
| Iranian | ||||
| Avestan: | bavaiti | vb | to be, become | GED |
| Indic | ||||
| Sanskrit: | ábhūt | vb.aor | was | GED |
| bahúṣ | n | arm | GED | |
| bhávati | vb | to be, exist, become | GED/RPN | |
| bhú | n.fem | earth, site, place | ASD | |
| bhú | vb | to be, become, spring up | ASD | |
| bhū́ma | n | earth, being | GED | |
Key to Part-of-Speech/Grammatical feature abbreviations:
| Abbrev. | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | = | 1st person |
| 2 | = | 2nd person |
| 3 | = | 3rd person |
| VII | = | class 7 |
| adj | = | adjective |
| anom | = | anomalous/indeclinable |
| aor | = | aorist (tense) |
| defc | = | defective |
| dial | = | dialectal |
| fem | = | feminine (gender) |
| imp | = | imperative (mood) |
| irr | = | irregular |
| masc | = | masculine (gender) |
| n | = | noun |
| neut | = | neuter (gender) |
| pfx | = | prefix |
| pl | = | plural (number) |
| pret | = | preterite (tense) |
| prop | = | proper |
| ptc | = | participle |
| sg | = | singular (number) |
| str | = | strong (inflection) |
| subj | = | subjunctive (mood) |
| trans | = | transitive |
| vb | = | verb |
| wk | = | weak (inflection) |
Key to information Source codes (always with 'LRC' as editor):
| Code | Citation | |
|---|---|---|
| AHD | = | Calvert Watkins: The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots, 2nd ed. (2000) |
| ASD | = | Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller: An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898) |
| CDC | = | W.D. Whitney and B.E. Smith: The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia (1889-1911) |
| GED | = | Winfred P. Lehmann: A Gothic Etymological Dictionary (1986) |
| IEW | = | Julius Pokorny: Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (1959) |
| LRC | = | Linguistics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| MEV | = | J.R.R. Tolkien: A Middle English Vocabulary (1922) |
| OED | = | James A.H. Murray et al: The Oxford English Dictionary (1933) |
| RPN | = | Allan R. Bomhard: Reconstructing Proto-Nostratic (2002) |
| TLL | = | Frederick Bodmer: The Loom of Language (1944) |
| W7 | = | Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (1963) |
