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: leuk- 'to light, shine; see'
Semantic Field(s): to Light, Kindle, to Shine, Glisten, to See
Indo-European Reflexes:
| Family/Language | Reflex(es) | PoS/Gram. | Gloss | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | ||||
| Old Irish: | lōchet | n | light(n)ing | LRC |
| luchair | n | radiance | LRC | |
| English | ||||
| Old English: | lēah | n.masc | lea | ASD/W7 |
| lē(o)ht, līht | adj | light, clear | ASD | |
| lēoht, līht | n.neut | light | ASD/W7 | |
| lēohtan | vb.wk | to light, shine | ASD | |
| lēoma | n.masc | ray, gleam; radiance | GED | |
| lox | n.masc | lynx | ASD/W7 | |
| Lucifer | prop.n | Lucifer: the Devil symbolized by the morning star (Venus) | W7 | |
| Middle English: | levene | n | levin | GED |
| leye | n | lea | W7 | |
| light | n | light | W7 | |
| lightning | n | lightning | W7 | |
| Lucifer | prop.n | Lucifer: the Devil symbolized by the morning star (Venus) | W7 | |
| luculent | adj | luculent | W7 | |
| luminarye | n | luminary | W7 | |
| luminen, limnen | vb | to illuminate (a manuscript) | W7 | |
| luminous | adj | luminous | W7 | |
| luna | n | luna | W7 | |
| lunatik | n | lunatic | W7 | |
| lustre | n | luster | W7 | |
| once | n | ounce | W7 | |
| English: | elucidate | vb | to clarify via explanation | AHD/W7 |
| elucubration | n | night study | AHD | |
| illuminate | vb.trans | to supply/brighten with light | AHD/W7 | |
| illustrate | vb | to enlighten | AHD/W7 | |
| lea | n | pasture, grassland | AHD/W7 | |
| levin | n | lightning | GED | |
| light, lit | vb.wk | to brighten, illuminate | W7 | |
| light | adj | bright, shining, luminous | LRC | |
| light | n | brightness, illumination, that which makes vision possible | AHD/W7 | |
| lightning | n | flash of light from atmospheric electric discharge | AHD/W7 | |
| limbers | n.pl | gutters/conduits that provide passage for water to pump well | AHD/W7 | |
| Limlight | prop.n | Rohan border river in Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings | LRC | |
| limn | vb.trans | to draw | AHD/W7 | |
| link | n | torch used to light one's way through streets | AHD/W7 | |
| lucent | adj | luminous, glowing with light | AHD/W7 | |
| lucid | adj | luminous, suffused with light | AHD/W7 | |
| Lucifer | prop.n | morning star symbolic of an angel (Satan) before his fall | AHD/W7 | |
| lucifer | n | friction match | W7 | |
| luciferin | n | pigment in luminescent organism providing nearly-heatless light | AHD/W7 | |
| Lucina | prop.n | Juno, as goddess of childbirth (Roman mythology) | LRC | |
| lucubrate | vb | to write in scholarly fashion | AHD | |
| luculent | adj | lucid, clear in thought/expression | AHD/W7 | |
| lumen | n | cavity of tubular organ (e.g. blood vessel) | AHD/W7 | |
| luminary | n | someone notable in a chosen field | AHD/W7 | |
| luminous | adj | shining, emitting light | AHD/W7 | |
| Luna | prop.n | Moon goddess (Roman mythology) | AHD | |
| luna | n | silver | W7 | |
| lunar | adj | re: moon | AHD/W7 | |
| lunate | adj | crescent-shaped | AHD/W7 | |
| lunatic | adj | insane, affected by lunacy | AHD/W7 | |
| lune | n | crescent-shaped portion of plane/sphere | AHD | |
| lunula | n | small crescent-shaped marking/structure | AHD | |
| luster | n | lustrum | AHD/W7 | |
| luster | n | sheen, glow of reflected light | AHD/W7 | |
| lustrum | n | purification of Roman people after 5-year census | AHD/W7 | |
| lux | n | unit of illumination | AHD/W7 | |
| lychnis | n | herb with terminal cymes of mostly red/white flowers | AHD/W7 | |
| lynx | n | wildcat with long legs/short stubby tail/often tufted ears | AHD/W7 | |
| mezzaluna | n | crescent-shaped knife with 2 handles | AHD | |
| noctiluca | n | marine bioluminescent flagellates | AHD/W7 | |
| ounce | n | snow leopard | AHD/W7 | |
| pellucid | adj | admitting maximum light passage without diffusion/distortion | AHD/W7 | |
| phillumenist | n | one who collects matchbooks/matchboxes | AHD | |
| relucent | adj | shining, reflecting light | AHD/W7 | |
| sublunary | adj | terrestrial: situated beneath moon | AHD/W7 | |
| translucent | adj | luminous, shining/glowing through | AHD/W7 | |
| twilight | n | light refracted/reflected by atmosphere while sun is down | AHD | |
| West Germanic | ||||
| Old Frisian: | liacht | adj/n | light | ASD |
| Dutch: | licht | n | light | LRC |
| lucifer | n | lucifer | TLL | |
| Old Saxon: | lioht | adj/n | light | ASD |
| liomo | n.masc | ray, gleam; radiance | GED | |
| Old High German: | lioht, lieht | adj/n | light, candle | ASD/W7 |
| lōh | n | thicket | W7 | |
| luchs, lohs | n | lynx | ASD | |
| German: | Licht | n.neut | light | ASD |
| licht | adj | light | ASD | |
| Luchs | n | lynx | ASD | |
| North Germanic | ||||
| Old Norse: | ljós | n.neut | light, lantern | LRC |
| logi | n.masc | flame | LRC | |
| Old Icelandic: | ljōmi | n.masc | ray, gleam; radiance | GED |
| Icelandic: | ljós | n | light | ASD |
| ljóss | adj | light | ASD | |
| Danish: | lyn | n | light | TLL |
| lys | n | light | LRC | |
| Swedish: | ljus | n | light | LRC |
| East Germanic | ||||
| Gothic: | *lauhmuni | n.fem | lightning | GED |
| liuhaþ, liohaþ | n | light | ASD | |
| Italic | ||||
| Latin: | illumino, illuminare, illuminavi, illuminatus | vb | to enlighten, illuminate | W7 |
| illustro, illustrare, illustravi, illustratus | vb | to glorify, make bright | W7 | |
| luceo, lucēre | vb | to shine | W7 | |
| lucidus | adj | lucid | W7 | |
| Lucifer | n | lit. Light Bringer: Venus, the morning star | W7 | |
| lucifer | adj | light-bearing | W7 | |
| Lucina | n.fem | Juno, as goddess of childbirth (Roman mythology) | W7 | |
| luculentus | adj | luminous, brillant | W7 | |
| lūcus | n.masc | grove | W7 | |
| lūmen, lūminis | n.neut | light | GED | |
| lumino, lumināre | vb | to light up | W7 | |
| luminosus | adj | luminous | W7 | |
| Lūna | prop.n.fem | Luna | LRC | |
| lūna | n.fem | moon | W7 | |
| lūnāris | adj | lunar | W7 | |
| lūno, lūnāre, lūnāvī, lūnātus | vb | to bend like crescent | W7 | |
| lūstro, lūstrāre | vb | to brighten, purify | W7 | |
| lustrum | n.neut | period of 5 years | W7 | |
| lux, lucis | n.fem | light | LRC | |
| lychnis | n.fem | red flower | W7 | |
| lychnus | n.masc | lamp | W7 | |
| lynx, lyncis | n.fem | lynx | W7 | |
| noctiluca | n.fem | something shining by night | W7 | |
| reluceo, relucēre | vb | to shine back | W7 | |
| transluceo, translucēre | vb | to shine through | W7 | |
| Late Latin: | elucido, elucidare, elucidavi, elucidatus | vb | to elucidate | W7 |
| luminaria | n.neut.pl | lamps, luminary | W7 | |
| lūnaticus | adj | lunatic | W7 | |
| sublūnāris | adj | sublunary | W7 | |
| Medieval Latin: | linchinus | n.masc | candle | W7 |
| lūna | n.fem | moon, luna | W7 | |
| New Latin: | lychnis | n.fem | (genus name) | W7 |
| noctiluca | n.fem | (genus name for) marine flagellates | W7 | |
| Old French: | lonce | n.fem | ounce | W7 |
| lumière | n.fem | light, opening | W7 | |
| lunatique | adj | lunatic | W7 | |
| Middle French: | enluminer | vb | to decorate with enluminures | W7 |
| luminaire | n.masc | lamp | W7 | |
| French: | lumière | n.fem | light | W7 |
| lune | n | moon | TLL | |
| Old Italian: | lustrare | vb | to brighten | W7 |
| lustro | n.masc | glow of reflected light | W7 | |
| Baltic | ||||
| Old Prussian: | luckis | n | block of wood | LRC |
| Lithuanian: | láukas | adj | having a blaze (re: horse) | LRC |
| laũkas | n.masc | field | LRC | |
| Slavic | ||||
| Old Church Slavonic: | luča, luč' | n | gleam, ray of light | LRC |
| Hellenic | ||||
| Homeric Greek: | λευκός | adj | white; light, bright, clear | LS |
| Greek: | λευκαίνω | vb | to make/be(come) white | LS |
| λύχνος | n.masc | lamp | LS | |
| Anatolian | ||||
| Hittite: | lukk- | vb | to light, ignite | LRC |
| Armenian | ||||
| Classical Armenian: | loys | n | light | LRC |
| lucanem | vb | to light, ignite, burn | LRC | |
| Iranian | ||||
| Old Persian: | raučah | n | day | LRC |
| Avestan: | raočah- | adj | bright | LRC |
| Indic | ||||
| Sanskrit: | rócate | vb | to shine | LRC |
| Tocharian | ||||
| Tocharian: | luk- | n | gleam | LRC |
Key to Part-of-Speech/Grammatical feature abbreviations:
| Abbrev. | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| adj | = | adjective |
| fem | = | feminine (gender) |
| masc | = | masculine (gender) |
| n | = | noun |
| neut | = | neuter (gender) |
| pl | = | plural (number) |
| prop | = | proper |
| 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 |
| LS | = | Liddell and Scott: Greek-English Lexicon, 7th-9th ed's (1882-1940), rev. |
| TLL | = | Frederick Bodmer: The Loom of Language (1944) |
| W7 | = | Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (1963) |
