h₁eyH-

PIE root for ice and frost.‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍ Ancestral to English "ice" and Germanic words for frozen water.

Discussion

*h₁eyH- is a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "ice" or "frost," ancestral to Germanic and other branch words for frozen water.‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍

The root gives Old English īs "ice" (modern English ice), with the long vowel reflecting the laryngeal *H. German Eis, Dutch ijs, and Old Norse íss all continue the Germanic form *īsą. The laryngeal (likely *h₁ initially, with a second laryngeal producing the long vowel) is debated in its exact specification.

In Iranian, Avestan aēxa- "frost" may reflect a related form. The Norse mythological realm Niflheimr ("mist-home") contains frost-related vocabulary from the same semantic field, though not directly from this root.

The root is primarily productive in Germanic, which has led some scholars to question whether it is truly PIE or represents a later innovation. However, potential cognates in other branches, combined with the phonological regularity of the Germanic forms, support a PIE origin.

Modern descendants include English ice, iceberg, icicle (a tautological compound: ice + icicle), German Eis, and the Icelandic country name Ísland.

Notes

Source of English "ice", German "Eis", Old Norse "íss". Zero-grade *h₁iH-.