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: 1. g̑en-, g̑enə-, g̑nē-, g̑nō- 'to bear, produce, generate'
Semantic Field(s): to Bear (of Mother), to Do, Make
Indo-European Reflexes:
| Family/Language | Reflex(es) | PoS/Gram. | Gloss | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | ||||
| Old Irish: | gainethar | vb.3.sg | is born | GED |
| gein | n.neut | birth | GED | |
| Breton: | genel | vb | to bear, give birth | LRC |
| Welsh: | gen(n)i | vb | to be born, give birth | GED/RPN |
| English | ||||
| Old English: | cænnan, cynnan | vb.wk.I | to bear, beget, conceive, bring forth | ASD |
| cennan, cennede, cenned | vb.wk.I | to bear, beget, conceive, bring forth | LRC | |
| cnōsl | n.str.neut | race | GED | |
| cynd | n | kind, species; origin | RPN | |
| cyne-rīce, cyne-rȳce | n.neut | kingdom | ASD/GED | |
| cy(ni)ng | n.masc | king | ASD/GED | |
| cynn | n.neut | kin(d), race, species; progeny | GED/RPN | |
| mon(n)-cynn, man(n)-cynn | n.neut | mankind | LRC | |
| Middle English: | alkyn | adj | of all kinds | MEV |
| benigne | adj | benign | W7 | |
| degenerat | adj | degenerate | W7 | |
| engendren | vb | to engender | W7 | |
| engin | n | engine | W7 | |
| gendre | n | gender | W7 | |
| gendren | vb | to gender, engender | W7 | |
| general | adj | general | W7 | |
| genital | adj | genital | W7 | |
| genitive | adj | genitive | W7 | |
| gent | adj | gent | W7 | |
| gentil | adj | gentle | W7 | |
| gentile | n | gentile | W7 | |
| gentrise, gentrie | n | gentry | W7 | |
| germain | adj | having the same parents | W7 | |
| innat | adj | innate | W7 | |
| kin | n | kin(dred) | W7 | |
| kinde | n | kind | W7 | |
| kindred | n | kindred | W7 | |
| king | n | king | W7 | |
| maligne | adj | malign | W7 | |
| malignen | vb | to malign | W7 | |
| mankunde, mankyn(de) | n | mankind | MEV | |
| nacioun | n | nation | W7 | |
| natal | adj | natal | W7 | |
| natif | adj | native | W7 | |
| nature | n | nature | W7 | |
| pregnant | adj | pregnant | W7 | |
| progenie | n | progeny | W7 | |
| progenitor | n | progenitor | W7 | |
| English: | adnate | adj | grown fast to something different | AHD/W7 |
| agnate | adj/n | related/relative on father's side | AHD/W7 | |
| allogeneic | adj | re: genetic dissimilarity | AHD | |
| archegonium | n | flask-shaped egg-producing sex organ | AHD/W7 | |
| benign | adj | gracious, of gentle disposition | AHD/W7 | |
| cognate | adj | related by blood | AHD/W7 | |
| congener | n | member of same genus as another plant/animal | AHD/W7 | |
| congenial | adj | kindred, having same tastes/nature/disposition | AHD/W7 | |
| congenital | adj | existing at/dating from birth | AHD/W7 | |
| connate | adj | inborn, innate | AHD/W7 | |
| degenerate | adj | departed from proper quality | AHD/W7 | |
| dysgenic | adj | yielding offspring inferior to parent | TLL | |
| enate | n | maternal female relative | AHD | |
| endogenous | adj | grown from within | TLL | |
| engender | vb | to beget, procreate | AHD/W7 | |
| engine | n | wile, ingenuity; agent; device | AHD/W7 | |
| epigone | n | imitative follower | AHD/W7 | |
| erogenous | adj | sexually sensitive | AHD/W7 | |
| eugenic | adj | yielding offspring superior to parent | TLL | |
| eugenics | n | ethics/genetics re: producing superior offspring | TLL | |
| -gen | n.sfx | producer | AHD/W7 | |
| gender | n | sex | AHD/W7 | |
| gender | vb | to engender | AHD/W7 | |
| gene | n | part of germ plasm transmitting hereditary characters | AHD/W7 | |
| general | adj | involving/applicable to whole | AHD/W7 | |
| generate | vb.trans | to bring into existence | AHD/W7 | |
| generation | n | offspring at same stage of descent | AHD | |
| generic | adj | general, re: whole group/class | AHD/W7 | |
| generous | adj | highborn | AHD/W7 | |
| genesis | n | birth/origin/coming into being | AHD/W7 | |
| genial | adj | re: marriage/generation | AHD/W7 | |
| -genic | adj.sfx | that generates | AHD/W7 | |
| genital | adj | generative | AHD/W7 | |
| genitive | adj | (grammatical case) re: relationship of possessor/source | AHD/W7 | |
| genitor | n | one who creates/produces | AHD | |
| geniture | n | birth, nativity | AHD/W7 | |
| genius | n | attendant spirit of person/place | AHD/W7 | |
| genocide | n | destruction of racial/cultural/political group | AHD/W7 | |
| genotype | n | type species, genetic constitution | AHD/W7 | |
| -genous | adj.sfx | that generates | AHD/W7 | |
| genre | n | sort, kind | AHD/W7 | |
| gens | n | Roman clan embracing families of same male stock | AHD/W7 | |
| gent | adj | pretty, graceful | AHD/W7 | |
| genteel | adj | stylish, having aristocratic quality | AHD/W7 | |
| gentile | adj | re: non-Jewish peoples | AHD/W7 | |
| gentile | n | person of non-Jewish faith/stock | AHD/W7 | |
| gentle | adj | re: family with high social status | AHD/W7 | |
| gentlehobbit | n | noble/gentle hobbit in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| gentleman | n | man of noble/gentle birth | W7 | |
| gentry | n.obs | qualities appropriate to person of gentle birth | AHD/W7 | |
| genuine | adj | true, actually having reputed/apparent character/qualities | AHD/W7 | |
| genus | n | class/group/kind characterized by common attribute(s) | AHD/W7 | |
| -geny | n.sfx | production, generation | AHD/W7 | |
| germ | n | part of living substance able to develop into whole | AHD/W7 | |
| german | adj | having same parents/grandparents on maternal/paternal side | AHD/W7 | |
| germane | adj | closely akin | AHD/W7 | |
| germinal | adj | re: earliest development stage | AHD/W7 | |
| germinate | vb | to cause to sprout/develop | AHD/W7 | |
| gingerly | adj/adv | careful/cautious; with care/delicacy | AHD/W7 | |
| gonad | n | testis, ovary, primary sex gland | AHD/W7 | |
| -gony | n.sfx | generation, reproduction, manner of birth | AHD/W7 | |
| heterogeneous | adj | mixed, consisting of dissimilar parts | AHD/W7 | |
| hormogonium | n | portion of cyanobacterium filament | AHD | |
| impregnate | vb.trans | to make pregnant | AHD/W7 | |
| indigenous | adj | produced/growing/living naturally in region/environment | AHD/W7 | |
| indigent | adj | needy, impoverished | AHD/W7 | |
| ingenious | adj | showing/calling for intelligence | AHD/W7 | |
| ingenuous | adj | noble, honorable | AHD/W7 | |
| innate | adj | native, existing in/belonging to individual from birth | AHD/W7 | |
| jaunty | adj | genteel | AHD/W7 | |
| kin | n | clan, person(s) of common ancestry | AHD/W7 | |
| kind | adj | loving, gentle, friendly, affectionate | W7 | |
| kind | n | type, sort, nature | AHD/W7 | |
| kindergarten | n | young children's class/school | AHD/W7 | |
| kindred | n | relative(s), related individual(s) | W7 | |
| king | n | male monarch of major territorial unit | AHD/W7 | |
| kingsfoil | n | healing herb in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| malign | adj | injurious, evil in effect/nature/influence | AHD/W7 | |
| malign | vb.trans | to utter false/evil/misleading reports about | AHD/W7 | |
| mankind | n | human race, all human beings | W7 | |
| miscegenation | n | mixture of races | AHD/W7 | |
| Morgul-king | prop.n | Nazgûl king in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| naive | adj | ingenuous, artless, marked by unaffected simplicity | AHD/W7 | |
| nascent | adj | re: being born/brought forth | AHD/W7 | |
| natal | adj | native, re: birth | AHD/W7 | |
| nation | n | nationality | AHD/W7 | |
| native | adj | innate, inborn | AHD/W7 | |
| nature | n | essence, inherent character/basic constitution | AHD/W7 | |
| nee | adj | re: identifying woman by maiden name | AHD/W7 | |
| neonatal | adj | re: newborn (human) infant | W7 | |
| neonate | n | newborn infant | AHD | |
| Noel | prop.n | Christmas | AHD | |
| noel | n | Christmas carol | W7 | |
| oncogenesis | n | tumor formation/development | AHD | |
| pregnant | adj | gravid, containing unborn young | AHD/W7 | |
| primogenitor | n | ancestor, forefather | AHD/W7 | |
| primogeniture | n | firstborn of children of same parents | AHD/W7 | |
| progenitor | n | forefather, ancestor in direct line | AHD/W7 | |
| progeny | n | children, offspring, descendants | AHD/W7 | |
| puny | adj | weak, slight/inferior in size/power/importance | AHD/W7 | |
| renaissance | n | transition between medieval/modern times in Europe | AHD/W7 | |
| syngeneic | adj | genetically identical, closely related, immunologically compatible | AHD | |
| wunderkind | n | child prodigy | AHD/W7 | |
| West Germanic | ||||
| Old Frisian: | kanna, kenna | vb | to beget, conceive | ASD |
| kening, keneng, kini(n)g, koning | n | king | ASD | |
| kenn, kinn | n | kin, race, generation | GED | |
| Frisian: | kening | n | king | ASD |
| kinnen | vb | to beget, conceive | ASD | |
| Dutch: | kind | n.neut | child | ASD |
| koning | n.masc | king | ASD | |
| natuur | n | nature | TLL | |
| Old Saxon: | cnōsal, knōsal | n.str.neut | race | ASD/GED |
| cuni(n)g, kuning | n.masc | king | ASD/GED | |
| kennian | vb | to beget, conceive | ASD | |
| kind | n.str.neut | child | LRC | |
| kunni | n | race, generation | GED | |
| man-kunni | n | mankind | ASD | |
| Old High German: | chnōt, chnuot | n.str.fem | race | GED |
| chnuosal | n.str.neut | race | GED | |
| chuning, kuning | n.str.masc | king | GED | |
| chuni-rīche | n | kingdom | GED | |
| chunni | n.str.neut | kin, kind, race, generation | GED/RPN | |
| kannjan | vb | to beget, conceive | ASD | |
| kind, kint | n.str.neut | child | ASD | |
| knōsli, knuosli | n.neut | kin, race | ASD | |
| man-chunni | n.neut | mankind | ASD | |
| Middle High German: | kint | n.neut | child | ASD |
| künic, kün(e)c | n.masc | king | ASD | |
| German: | Epigone | n.masc | follower, descendant | W7 |
| Gen | n.neut | gene, factor | W7 | |
| Kind, Kinder | n.neut | child | W7 | |
| Kindergarten | n.masc | kindergarten | W7 | |
| Knösel | n.masc | little man | ASD | |
| König | n.masc | king | ASD | |
| Natur | n.fem | nature | TLL | |
| Wunderkind | n.neut | child prodigy | W7 | |
| North Germanic | ||||
| Old Norse: | kind | n.fem | child, offspring; race | LRC |
| Old Icelandic: | konungr | n | king | GED |
| kyn | n.fem | kin(d), race, species | GED/RPN | |
| mann-kyn | n.fem | mankind | ASD | |
| Icelandic: | kind | n.fem | kind, species | ASD |
| kōngr, konungr | n.masc | king | ASD | |
| Danish: | kjende | vb | to beget, conceive | ASD |
| konge, konning | n.masc | king | ASD | |
| natur | n | nature | TLL | |
| Swedish: | ko(nu)ng, kung | n.masc | king | ASD |
| känna | vb | to beget, conceive | ASD | |
| natur | n | nature | TLL | |
| East Germanic | ||||
| Gothic: | himinakunds | adj | heavenly | LRC |
| kindins | n.str.masc | governor | LRC | |
| *knoþs | n.fem | race, kindred | GED | |
| kuni | n.neut | kin(d), race, generation | GED/RPN | |
| niuklahs | adj | young, childish | LRC | |
| Italic | ||||
| Old Latin: | genunt | vb.3.pl | they beget | GED |
| Latin: | adgnascor, adgnascī, adgnatus | vb.dep | to grow on | W7 |
| agnascor, agnascī, agnatus | vb.dep | to be born in addition to | W7 | |
| benignus | adj | kind, benign | W7 | |
| cognatus | adj | cognate, akin to | W7 | |
| congener | n.masc | son-in-law | W7 | |
| congenitus | adj | born with | W7 | |
| degenero, degenerare, degeneravi, degeneratus | vb | to degenerate | W7 | |
| generalis | adj | re: genre | W7 | |
| generō, generāre, generāvī, generātus | vb | to beget, generate | W7 | |
| generosus | adj | noble | W7 | |
| genialis | adj | bridal, of wedding, joyful | W7 | |
| genitalis | adj | of childbearing | W7 | |
| genitivus, genetivus | adj | genitive, of birth | W7 | |
| genitor | n.masc | begetter | W7 | |
| genitura | n.fem | birth, an engendering | W7 | |
| genius | n.masc | personal god | W7 | |
| genō, genāre | vb | to beget, give birth | RPN | |
| gens, gentis | n.fem | clan, tribe, race, kindred group | LRC | |
| gentilis | adj | re: same clan/nation | W7 | |
| genuinus | adj | native, genuine | W7 | |
| genus, generis | n.neut | race, birth, genus | GED/RPN | |
| germanus | adj | germane, having same parents | W7 | |
| germen, germinis | n.neut | bud, germ, seed, shoot | W7 | |
| germinō, germināre, germināvī, germinātus | vb | to sprout | W7 | |
| gīgnō, genere, genuī, genitus | vb | to beget, produce, generate, give birth | GED/RPN | |
| (g)nātus | adj | born | GED | |
| -gonia | sfx | having sides | W7 | |
| indigena | n.masc | native (of the country) | GED | |
| ingenero, ingenerare | vb | to engender | W7 | |
| ingeniosus | adj | talented | W7 | |
| ingenium | n.neut | natural disposition, talent | W7 | |
| ingens, ingentis | adj | great | LRC | |
| ingenuus | adj | free, natural, noble | W7 | |
| innascor, innasci, innatus | vb | to be born in | W7 | |
| malignus | adj | malicious, mean | W7 | |
| nāscor, nāscī, nātus | vb.dep | to arise, be born/produced | LRC | |
| natalis | adj | relating to birth, birthday | W7 | |
| nātiō, nātiōnis | n.fem | birth; race, nation | LRC | |
| nativus | adj | of the birth | W7 | |
| natura | n.fem | nature | W7 | |
| naturalis, naturalis, naturale | adj | natural | LRC | |
| praegnans, praegnantis | adj | pregnant, impregnated | W7 | |
| praegnas | adj | pregnant, impregnated | W7 | |
| progenies | n.fem | race, family, progeny | LRC | |
| progenitor | n.masc | parent, ancestor, progenitor | W7 | |
| progigno, progignere, progenui, progenitus | vb | to beget, give birth to | W7 | |
| renascor, renasci | vb.dep | to be born again | W7 | |
| singulus, singula, singulum | adj | single, individual | LRC | |
| Late Latin: | connascor, connasci, connatus | vb.dep | to be born together | W7 |
| impraegnō, impraegnāre, impraegnāvī, impraegnātus | vb | to make pregant | W7 | |
| indigenus | adj | indigenous | W7 | |
| malignor, malignāri | vb.dep | to act maliciously | W7 | |
| primogenitor | n.masc | origin, first begetter | W7 | |
| primogenitura | n.fem | primogeniture, first begotten children | W7 | |
| Medieval Latin: | heterogen(e)us | adj | heterogeneous | W7 |
| New Latin: | archegonium | n.neut | originator | W7 |
| gonas, gonadis | n.fem | gonad | W7 | |
| Old French: | benigne | adj | benign | AHD |
| engin | n.masc | engine, machine | W7 | |
| gent | n.fem | gens; kind, clan, family | W7 | |
| gentil | adj | noble, courageous | W7 | |
| naïf | adj | inborn, natural | W7 | |
| progénie | n.fem | ascendance, family, lineage | W7 | |
| Middle French: | benigne | adj | benign, good-natured | W7 |
| engendrer | vb | to engender | W7 | |
| gendre | n.masc | son-in-law | W7 | |
| gendrer | vb | to generate | W7 | |
| general | adj | general, re: kind | W7 | |
| genereus | adj | generous | W7 | |
| genre | n.masc | genre, gender | W7 | |
| germain | adj | kindred | W7 | |
| ingenieux | adj | clever, ingenious | W7 | |
| maligne | adj.fem | mean | W7 | |
| maligner | vb | to act maliciously | W7 | |
| natif | adj | native, re: birth | W7 | |
| nation | n.fem | nation | W7 | |
| nature | n.fem | nature | W7 | |
| né | vb.ptc | born | W7 | |
| progéniteur | n.masc | progenitor | W7 | |
| puisné | adj | younger, born afterward | W7 | |
| renaissance | n.fem | rebirth | W7 | |
| renaistre | vb | to be born again | W7 | |
| French: | -gène | adj.sfx | act of bringing forth | W7 |
| générique | adj | generic | W7 | |
| genre | n.masc | type, genre | W7 | |
| gentil | adj | nice, genteel | W7 | |
| germe | n.masc | germ, sprout | W7 | |
| germinal | adj | germinal, re: germination | W7 | |
| naître | vb | to be born | W7 | |
| naïve, naïf | adj.fem | naive | W7 | |
| né, née | vb.ptc | born | W7 | |
| Noël | prop.n.masc | Noel | LRC | |
| noël | n.masc | noel | LRC | |
| renaissance | n.fem | 2nd birth, 2nd coming into fashion | W7 | |
| Baltic | ||||
| Lithuanian: | gentìs | n | kinsman | LRC |
| žéntas | n | son-in-law | LRC | |
| Latvian: | znuõts | n.masc | son-in-law, brother-in-law | GED |
| Slavic | ||||
| Serbo-Croatian: | zȅt | n | son-in-law, sister's husband | LRC |
| Old Church Slavonic: | zjatь | n.masc | bridegroom, son-in-law | GED |
| zętъ | n | son-in-law, sister's husband | LRC | |
| Hellenic | ||||
| Greek: | archegonos | n.masc | originator | W7 |
| γενεή | n.fem | race, family, generation | LRC | |
| -geneia | afx | being born | W7 | |
| γένεσις | n.fem | birth, source, origin, beginning | LRC | |
| -genēs | afx | birth | W7 | |
| genikos | adj | genitive; re: birth | W7 | |
| γεννάω | vb | to beget, give birth | LRC | |
| γένος | n.neut | birth, race, stock, kind | GED/RPN | |
| γίγνομαι | vb.dep | to happen, become; arise, be born | GED/RPN | |
| γνήσιος | adj | legitimate | GED | |
| γνωτός | n.fem | brother, kinsman, well-known person | GED | |
| -gonia | afx | birth | W7 | |
| γόνος | n.masc/fem | child, offspring, descendant | GED | |
| epigignesthai | vb | to be born after | W7 | |
| epigonos | n.masc | successor | W7 | |
| heterogenēs | adj | heterogeneous | W7 | |
| Armenian | ||||
| Armenian: | cin | n | birth | GED/RPN |
| cnanim | vb | to beget, be born | GED/RPN | |
| Iranian | ||||
| Avestan: | zan- | vb | to bear, beget, be born | RPN |
| zana- | n | people | GED/RPN | |
| zāta | adj | born | GED | |
| zayeite | vb | to be born | LRC | |
| zīzənti | vb.3.pl | they bear | GED | |
| Indic | ||||
| Sanskrit: | jánati | vb | to beget, create | GED/RPN |
| janáyati | vb | to bear, beget | GED | |
| jánas- | n.masc | race, descent, lineage | GED/RPN | |
| jātás | adj | born | GED | |
| jñatiṣ | n | relative | GED | |
| jñātás | adj | born | GED | |
Key to Part-of-Speech/Grammatical feature abbreviations:
| Abbrev. | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | = | 3rd person |
| I | = | class 1 |
| adj | = | adjective |
| adv | = | adverb(ial) |
| afx | = | affix |
| dep | = | deponent |
| fem | = | feminine (gender) |
| masc | = | masculine (gender) |
| n | = | noun |
| neut | = | neuter (gender) |
| obs | = | obsolete |
| pl | = | plural (number) |
| prop | = | proper |
| ptc | = | participle |
| sfx | = | suffix |
| sg | = | singular (number) |
| str | = | strong (inflection) |
| 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) |
| GED | = | Winfred P. Lehmann: A Gothic Etymological Dictionary (1986) |
| LRC | = | Linguistics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| MEV | = | J.R.R. Tolkien: A Middle English Vocabulary (1922) |
| RPN | = | Allan R. Bomhard: Reconstructing Proto-Nostratic (2002) |
| TLL | = | Frederick Bodmer: The Loom of Language (1944) |
| W7 | = | Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (1963) |