h₂ent-
“front, forehead, against”against/before
PIE root meaning front, forehead, or against. Source of Latin ante, English "ante-," and words for facing and opposition.
Discussion
*h₂ent- is a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "front," "forehead," or "against," yielding spatial and oppositional vocabulary across all major branches.
Latin ante "before, in front of" is the primary reflex, yielding English ante-, anterior, antique ("from before"), anticipate, and advance. Greek antí "against, opposite" gives the prefix anti- (antithesis, antibiotic, antipathy). The semantic split between "before" (Latin) and "against" (Greek) reflects two aspects of facing: what is in front of you and what opposes you.
Sanskrit ánti "near, in front" and Hittite ḫanti "in front" preserve the spatial sense. Germanic *and- gives Old English and- "against" (as in answer, from and-swaru "a swearing against") and the prefix ant- in some archaic compounds.
The laryngeal *h₂ colors the initial vowel to *a. The root illustrates how a single spatial concept ("facing/in front") can develop both temporal (before/prior) and oppositional (against/anti-) meanings.
Modern descendants include English ante-, anti-, antique, anterior, anticipate, advance, and answer ("to swear against").
Notes
Source of Latin "ante" (before), English "anti-", "end". Dual: front/opposition.