h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂
“wool, sheep fiber”wool, fiber
PIE noun root for wool. Source of Latin lāna, English "wool," Greek lēnos, and textile vocabulary.
Discussion
*h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ is a Proto-Indo-European noun root meaning "wool" or "sheep fiber," one of the key terms establishing PIE familiarity with sheep husbandry and textile production.
Latin lāna "wool" (whence English lanolin, lanate) derives regularly, with loss of the initial laryngeal and labiovelar. Greek lênos "wool" shows a parallel development. Sanskrit ū́rṇā "wool" preserves an older form with rhotacism of the lateral. Germanic *wullō gives Old English wull, modern English wool, German Wolle, Dutch wol—here the initial *w- is preserved while the laryngeal is lost.
Old Church Slavonic vlŭna "wool" and Lithuanian vilna confirm the root across Balto-Slavic. The wide attestation of this root across all major branches is considered strong evidence for wool-bearing sheep in the PIE homeland, contributing to debates about the date and location of Proto-Indo-European.
The complex cluster of laryngeals (*h₂...h₁...h₂) makes this root phonologically notable, and the exact reconstruction remains debated among specialists.
Notes
Source of Latin "lāna", English "wool", Sanskrit "ūrṇā". Core textile term.