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) |