Word Map
A structured overview of the Proto-Indo-European root system. Roots are organized below by semantic field, followed by the Indo-European language family tree showing how PIE branches into its daughter families. This page serves as an atlas of the reconstructed lexicon.
50
Published roots
0
Attested descendants
23
Branches
72
Languages
37
Semantic fields
Contents
action(10)
animal(4)
body(8)
celestial(4)
cognition(4)
colour(1)
counting(2)
creation(2)
domestic(2)
dwelling(1)
element(2)
emotion(1)
existence(1)
family(4)
identity(1)
kinship(5)
language(1)
life(1)
material(1)
motion(4)
nature(12)
number(2)
perception(5)
position(1)
quality(5)
ritual(1)
size(1)
social(7)
state(5)
sustenance(4)
time(4)
tool(1)
transfer(2)
transport(1)
violence(1)
wealth(1)
weather(1)
Roots by Semantic Field113 entries across 37 fields
action10 roots
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| bʰer- | to carry, to bear | high | — |
| deh₃- | to give | high | — |
| dʰeh₁- | to put, to place, to do | high | — |
| gʷem- | to come, to go | high | — |
| gʷʰen- | to strike, to kill | high | — |
| h₂eǵ- | to drive, to lead | high | — |
| leykʷ- | to leave, to remain | high | — |
| peh₂- | to protect, to feed | high | — |
| spend- | to pour a libation, to make a treaty | high | — |
| steh₂- | to stand | high | — |
animal4 roots
body8 roots
celestial4 roots
cognition4 roots
colour1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| h₁reudʰ- | red | high | — |
counting2 roots
creation2 roots
domestic2 roots
dwelling1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| dem- | house, household | high | — |
element2 roots
emotion1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| ḱerd- | heart | high | — |
existence1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| h₁es- | to be | high | — |
family4 roots
identity1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| h₃nómn̥ | name | high | — |
kinship5 roots
language1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| h₃nómn̥ | name | high | — |
life1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| ǵenh₁- | to beget, to produce, to be born | high | — |
material1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| deru- | tree, wood, to be firm | high | — |
motion4 roots
nature12 roots
number2 roots
perception5 roots
position1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| steh₂- | to stand | high | — |
quality5 roots
ritual1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| spend- | to pour a libation, to make a treaty | high | — |
size1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| meǵ- | great, large | high | — |
state5 roots
sustenance4 roots
time4 roots
tool1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| h₂éḱ- | sharp, pointed | high | — |
transfer2 roots
transport1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| h₁éḱwos | horse | high | — |
violence1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| gʷʰen- | to strike, to kill | high | — |
wealth1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| gʷōws | cow, cattle | high | — |
weather1 root
| Root | Meaning | Confidence | Descendants |
|---|---|---|---|
| snéygʷʰ- | snow | high | — |
Language Family Tree
The Indo-European family descends from Proto-Indo-European through a series of intermediate proto-languages. Each branch below links to its detail page. Counts reflect the number of languages and attested root reflexes currently in the database.
Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500 -- 2500 BCE (reconstructed)
- Albanian1 lang
- Anatolian3 langs
- Armenian2 langs
- Celtic1 lang
- East Germanic1 lang
- North Germanic6 langs
- West Germanic8 langs
- Hellenic3 langs
- Indo-Aryan8 langs
- Iranian6 langs
- Italic3 langs
- Romance7 langs
- Phrygian1 lang
- Tocharian2 langs