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. ten-, tend- 'to span, stretch, extend'
Semantic Field(s): to Stretch, to Grow
Indo-European Reflexes:
| Family/Language | Reflex(es) | PoS/Gram. | Gloss | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | ||||
| Old Irish: | tan | n | time | LRC |
| Welsh: | tant | n | string | LRC |
| English | ||||
| Old English: | þenian, þennan | vb | to stretch, extend | RPN |
| Middle English: | absteinen | vb | to abstain | W7 |
| attenden | vb | to attend | W7 | |
| conteinen | vb | to contain | W7 | |
| continuen | vb | to continue | W7 | |
| deteynen | vb | to detain | W7 | |
| distenden | vb | to distend | W7 | |
| entenden, intenden | vb | to intend | W7 | |
| entertinen | vb | to entertain | W7 | |
| extenden | vb | to extend | W7 | |
| lieutenant | n | lieutenant | W7 | |
| mainteinen | vb | to maintain | W7 | |
| obteinen | vb | to obtain | W7 | |
| perteinen | vb | to pertain | W7 | |
| portenden | vb | to portend | W7 | |
| pretenden | vb | to pretend | W7 | |
| reine | n | rein | W7 | |
| retainen, reteinen | vb | to retain | W7 | |
| retenue | n | retinue | W7 | |
| sustenen | vb | to sustain | W7 | |
| tenant | n | tenant | W7 | |
| tenden | vb | to tend | W7 | |
| tender | n | tender | W7 | |
| tenement | n | tenement | W7 | |
| tenon | n | tenon | W7 | |
| tenor | n | tenor | W7 | |
| tente | n | tent | W7 | |
| tenure | n | tenure | W7 | |
| tetanus | n | tetanus | W7 | |
| tone | n | tone | W7 | |
| English: | abstain | vb.intrans | to refrain from action | AHD/W7 |
| anatase | n | tetragonal titanium dioxide | AHD/W7 | |
| attend | vb | to give heed to | AHD/W7 | |
| attenuate | vb | to make thin/slender | AHD/W7 | |
| baritone | n | male singing voice between bass and tenor | AHD/W7 | |
| bronchiectasis | n | chronic dilation of bronchial tubes | AHD | |
| catatonia | n | catalepsy | AHD/W7 | |
| contain | vb | to restrain, keep within limits | AHD/W7 | |
| contend | vb | to vie/strive in contest/rivalry/against difficulties | AHD/W7 | |
| continue | vb | to maintain without interruption | AHD/W7 | |
| detain | vb.trans | to hold/keep (as if) in custody | AHD/W7 | |
| detent | n | mechanism to lock/unlock movement | AHD/W7 | |
| detente | n | easing of tensions/relations | AHD | |
| distend | vb | to extend | AHD/W7 | |
| entasis | n | slight bulge in shaft of column | AHD | |
| entertain | vb | to maintain, receive | AHD/W7 | |
| epitasis | n | development in play leading to catastrophe | AHD/W7 | |
| extend | vb | to stretch out | AHD/W7 | |
| extenuate | vb.trans | to make light of | AHD/W7 | |
| hypotenuse | n | side of triangle opposite right angle | AHD/W7 | |
| intend | vb | to construe, interpret, understand; mean, signify | AHD/W7 | |
| intenerate | vb.trans | to soften, make tender | AHD/W7 | |
| lieutenant | n | officer exercising power for higher official | AHD/W7 | |
| maintain | vb.trans | to keep in existing state, preserve from decline/failure | AHD/W7 | |
| neoteny | n | attainment of sexual maturity in larval stage | AHD/W7 | |
| obtain | vb | to gain/attain (by planning) | AHD/W7 | |
| ostensible | adj | open to view, intended for display | AHD/W7 | |
| peritoneum | n | smooth transparent serous membrane lining mammalian abdominal cavity | AHD/W7 | |
| pertain | vb.trans | to belong as part/member/product/accessory | AHD/W7 | |
| pertinacious | adj | adhering resolutely to design/purpose/opinion | AHD/W7 | |
| polytene | adj | re: large multistranded chromosomes with chromomeres in contact | AHD | |
| portend | vb.trans | to bode, give omen/anticipatory sign of | AHD/W7 | |
| pretend | vb | to profess, hold out appearance of being/possessing/performing | AHD/W7 | |
| protasis | n | introductory part of play/narrative poem | AHD/W7 | |
| rein | n | line fastened to each side of bit for control | AHD/W7 | |
| retain | vb.trans | to keep in use/possession | AHD/W7 | |
| retinaculum | n | connecting/retaining band/body | AHD/W7 | |
| retinue | n | suite, body of retainers | AHD/W7 | |
| sitar | n | Hindu guitar with long neck | AHD/W7 | |
| subtend | vb.trans | to be opposite to | AHD/W7 | |
| sustain | vb.trans | to give support/relief to | AHD/W7 | |
| syntonic | adj | responsive/adaptive to social/interpersonal environment | AHD/W7 | |
| taenia | n | ancient Greek fillet | AHD/W7 | |
| tantra | n | Hindu/Buddhist scripture marked by magic/mysticism | AHD/W7 | |
| telangiectasia | n | abnormal arteriole/capillary vessel dilation | AHD/W7 | |
| tenable | adj | reasonable, defensible, able to be held/maintained | AHD/W7 | |
| tenacious | adj | tough, cohesive, not easily pulled apart | AHD/W7 | |
| tenaculum | n | slender sharp-pointed hook on handle | AHD/W7 | |
| tenant | n | one who holds/possesses real estate/personal property by right | AHD/W7 | |
| tend | vb | to move/direct/develop one's course in particular direction | AHD/W7 | |
| tender | adj | fragile, delicate, having soft/yielding texture | AHD/W7 | |
| tender | n | offer of money/service to satisfy debt/obligation | AHD/W7 | |
| tendon | n | tough dense white fibrous cord/band attached to muscle | AHD/W7 | |
| tendril | n | slender spiral organ attaching plant to support | AHD/W7 | |
| tenement | n | holding, land/incorporeal property held by person | AHD/W7 | |
| tenesmus | n | ineffectual urge to evacuate rectum/bladder | AHD/W7 | |
| tenet | n | belief/doctrine/principle held to be true | AHD/W7 | |
| tenon | n | projecting member for insertion into mortise | AHD/W7 | |
| tenor | n | purport, general drift of spoken/written discourse | AHD/W7 | |
| tenorrhaphy | n | surgical suturing of divided tendons | AHD | |
| tense | adj | rigid, stretched tight, made taut | AHD/W7 | |
| tent | n | collapsible shelter of canvas/other material on poles | AHD/W7 | |
| tenuous | adj | rare, not dense | AHD/W7 | |
| tenure | n | act/right/term/manner of holding something | AHD/W7 | |
| tenuto | adv | holding tone/chord firmly to full length | AHD/W7 | |
| tetanus | n | lockjaw (acute infectious disease) | AHD/W7 | |
| tone | n | vocal/musical sound | AHD/W7 | |
| tonoplast | n | vacuolar membrane | AHD | |
| West Germanic | ||||
| Old Saxon: | þennian | vb | to stretch, extend | RPN |
| Old Low German: | thenan | vb | to stretch, extend | ASD |
| Old High German: | den(n)en | vb | to stretch, extend | RPN |
| German: | dehnen | vb | to stretch, extend | LRC |
| Katatonie | n.fem | catatonia | W7 | |
| North Germanic | ||||
| Old Icelandic: | þenja | vb | to stretch, extend | RPN |
| Icelandic: | þenja | vb | to stretch, extend | ASD |
| East Germanic | ||||
| Gothic: | uf-þanjan | vb | to stretch, extend, strive for | RPN |
| Italic | ||||
| Umbrian: | en-tentu | n.dat | to the one stretched out | LRC |
| Latin: | abstineo, abstinēre | vb | to abstain | W7 |
| attendo, attendere | vb | to stretch to | W7 | |
| attenuatus | vb.ptc | made thin | W7 | |
| attenuo, attenuare | vb | to make thin | W7 | |
| contendo, contendere | vb | to strain, exert | W7 | |
| contineo, continēre | vb | to contain | W7 | |
| continuo, continuare | vb | to continue | W7 | |
| continuus | adj | continuous | W7 | |
| detineo, detinēre | vb | to detain | W7 | |
| distendo, distendere | vb | to distend, stretch apart | W7 | |
| extendo, extendere | vb | to extend, stretch out | W7 | |
| extenuatus | vb.ptc | reduced, weakened, diminished | W7 | |
| extenuo, extenuare | vb | to reduce, weaken, diminish | W7 | |
| hypotenusa | n.fem | hypotenuse | W7 | |
| intendo, intendere | vb | to attend, direct attention to | W7 | |
| intentio, intentionis | n.fem | effort | LRC | |
| obtineo, obtinēre | vb | to obtain, possess, hold on to | W7 | |
| ostendo, ostendere | vb | to show | W7 | |
| ostensus | vb.ptc | shown | W7 | |
| pertinax, pertinacis | adj | tenacious | W7 | |
| pertineo, pertinēre | vb | to pertain | W7 | |
| portendo, portendere | vb | to stretch forward | W7 | |
| praetendo, praetendere | vb | to allege as excuse, stretch (curtain) in front of | W7 | |
| retinaculum | n.neut | halter, cable | W7 | |
| retineo, retinēre | vb | to restrain, hold back | W7 | |
| subtendo, subtendere | vb | to stretch beneath | W7 | |
| sustineo, sustinēre | vb | to sustain, hold up | W7 | |
| taenia | n.fem | band, head-band; tapeworm | W7 | |
| tenax, tenacis | adj | tenacious | W7 | |
| tendō, tendere | vb | to stretch, extend | RPN | |
| teneō, tenēre, tenuī | vb | to hold, control, understand | LRC | |
| tener | adj | tenuous, delicate | W7 | |
| tenesmos | n.masc | straining at stool | W7 | |
| tenor | n.masc | uninterrupted course | W7 | |
| tensus | vb.ptc | stretched out | W7 | |
| tenta | vb.ptc.fem | tense | W7 | |
| tetanus | n.masc | tetanus | W7 | |
| tonus | n.masc | tone, tension | W7 | |
| Vulgar Latin: | *retina | n.fem | rein, restraint | W7 |
| tenitus | vb.ptc | tenured | W7 | |
| Late Latin: | peritoneum | n.neut | peritoneum | W7 |
| protasis | n.fem | protasis | W7 | |
| tenaculum | n.neut | instrument for holding | W7 | |
| Medieval Latin: | manuteneo, manutenēre | vb | to maintain | W7 |
| tendo, tendonis | n.masc | tendril | W7 | |
| tenementum | n.neut | tenement | W7 | |
| tenitura | n.fem | (land) tenure | W7 | |
| New Latin: | catatonia | n.fem | catatonia, tone going down | W7 |
| ectasia | n.fem | dilatation of vessels | W7 | |
| ectasis | n.fem | ectasis | W7 | |
| neotenia | n.fem | neoteny | W7 | |
| retinaculum | n.neut | retinaculum | W7 | |
| telangiectasia | n.fem | abnormal dilation of blood vessels and arterioles | W7 | |
| tenaculum | n.neut | instrument for holding | W7 | |
| tonus | n.masc | a state of partial contraction of a normal muscle | W7 | |
| Portuguese: | attender | vb | to attend | CDC |
| attenuar | vb | to attenuate | CDC | |
| ter | vb | to have | TLL | |
| Spanish: | atender | vb | to attend | CDC |
| atenuar | vb | to attenuate | CDC | |
| tener | vb | to hold, have | TLL | |
| Old French: | abstenir | vb | to abstain, refrain from | AHD |
| atendre | vb | to wait, attend | CDC | |
| contenir | vb | to contain | W7 | |
| destendre | vb | to loosen reins | W7 | |
| maintenir | vb | to maintain | W7 | |
| sustenir | vb | to sustain | W7 | |
| tenable | adj | defensible, reasonable | W7 | |
| tendre | vb | to stretch | W7 | |
| teneüre | n.fem | land tenure | W7 | |
| tenir | vb | to hold | W7 | |
| tenon | n.masc | device to hold, kind of nail | W7 | |
| tenor | n.masc | tenor, uninterrupted course | W7 | |
| tente | n.fem | tent | W7 | |
| tenure | n.fem | land tenure | W7 | |
| Anglo-French: | estendre | vb | to extend | W7 |
| Middle French: | abstenir | vb | to abstain | W7 |
| contendre | vb | to contend | W7 | |
| continuer | vb | to continue | W7 | |
| destendre | vb | to slacken | W7 | |
| destente | n.fem | relaxation | W7 | |
| detenir | vb | to detain | W7 | |
| entendre | vb | to purpose, intend | W7 | |
| entretenir | vb | to entertain | W7 | |
| estendre | vb | to tighten, to extend | W7 | |
| lieutenant | n.masc | lieutenant | W7 | |
| obtenir | vb | to obtain | W7 | |
| partenir | vb | to pertain | W7 | |
| rene | n | rein | W7 | |
| retenir | vb | to retain | W7 | |
| retenu | vb.ptc | retained | W7 | |
| retenue | vb.ptc.fem | retained | W7 | |
| tenant | vb.pres.ptc | holding | W7 | |
| tendon | n.masc | tendon | W7 | |
| tendre | vb | to stretch (out), offer | W7 | |
| tendron | n.masc | tendril | W7 | |
| tenement | n.masc | part that holds | W7 | |
| tenir | vb | to hold | W7 | |
| French: | anatase | n | anatase | AHD |
| attendere | vb | to wait, attend | CDC | |
| atténuer | vb | to attenuate | CDC | |
| baryton | n.masc | baritone | W7 | |
| détente | n.fem | relaxation | W7 | |
| ostensible | adj | apparent, visible, displayable in public | W7 | |
| tenable | adj | tenable | W7 | |
| tenir | vb | to hold, have | TLL | |
| Old Occitan: | atenuar | vb | to attenuate | CDC |
| Italian: | attendere | vb | to attend | CDC |
| attenuare | vb | to attenuate | CDC | |
| baritono | n.masc | baritone | W7 | |
| tenere | vb | to hold | W7 | |
| tenuto | vb.ptc | held, bound | W7 | |
| Baltic | ||||
| Lithuanian: | tìnstu | vb | to swell | LRC |
| Latvian: | tinu | vb | to braid, weave | LRC |
| Slavic | ||||
| Old Church Slavonic: | teneto | n | cord | LRC |
| Albanian | ||||
| Albanian: | ndënj | vb | to spread out | LRC |
| Hellenic | ||||
| Homeric Greek: | τανύω | vb | to stretch (out), extend | RPN |
| Greek: | ἀνάστᾰσις | n.fem | removal, raising/rising up/again | LS |
| anatasis | n | extension | AHD | |
| ἀνα-τείνω | vb | to extend, lift/stretch/hold up/out | LS | |
| βᾰρύ-τονος | adj | deep-sounding | LS | |
| ἐπι-τείνω | vb | to stretch (up)on/over | LS | |
| peritonaion | n.neut | peritoneum | W7 | |
| peritonaios | adj | stretched around | W7 | |
| πρό-τᾰσις | n.fem | proposition, premise of syllogism | LS | |
| προ-τείνω | vb | to put forward, stretch out before | LS | |
| σύντονος | adj | strained, intense, vehement | LS | |
| ταινία | n.fem | (head)band, fillet | LS | |
| τείνω | vb | to spread, stretch, extend | RPN | |
| τετᾰνός | adj | straight, stretched, rigid | LS | |
| τόνος | n.masc | strain, tension, stretching | LS | |
| hypoteinousa | n.fem | hypotenuse | W7 | |
| ὑπο-τείνω | vb | to subtend, suggest | LS | |
| Iranian | ||||
| Avestan: | tanava | vb | to keep distant | LRC |
| Indic | ||||
| Sanskrit: | tatá-ḥ | vb.past.pass.ptc | stretched, extended | RPN |
| tanóti | vb | to stretch, extend, lengthen | RPN | |
| tantra | n | tantra | W7 | |
| Hindi: | sitār | n | Hindu guitar | W7 |
Key to Part-of-Speech/Grammatical feature abbreviations:
| Abbrev. | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| adj | = | adjective |
| adv | = | adverb(ial) |
| dat | = | dative (case) |
| fem | = | feminine (gender) |
| intrans | = | intransitive |
| masc | = | masculine (gender) |
| n | = | noun |
| neut | = | neuter (gender) |
| pass | = | passive (voice) |
| past | = | past (tense) |
| pres | = | present (tense) |
| ptc | = | participle |
| trans | = | transitive |
| vb | = | verb |
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) |
| LRC | = | Linguistics Research Center, University of Texas, Austin |
| LS | = | Liddell and Scott: Greek-English Lexicon, 7th-9th ed's (1882-1940), rev. |
| RPN | = | Allan R. Bomhard: Reconstructing Proto-Nostratic (2002) |
| TLL | = | Frederick Bodmer: The Loom of Language (1944) |
| W7 | = | Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (1963) |