kʷékʷlos

A PIE nominal root meaning "wheel, circle," a reduplicated formation from *kʷelh₁- ("to turn").‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍ Continued in Greek kýklos (κύκλος, "circle"), whence cycle, bicycle, encyclopedia, and cyclone; Sanskrit cakrá- ("wheel, chakra"); and Old English hwēol ("wheel"). This root is central to the debate over PIE wheeled transport.

Discussion

The root *kʷékʷlos ("wheel") is a reduplicated nominal formation from the verbal root *kʷelh₁- ("to ‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍turn, to revolve"), attested in Greek kýklos (κύκλος, "circle, wheel"), Sanskrit cakrá- ("wheel, disc, chakra"), Old English hwēol ("wheel"), Old Norse hjól ("wheel"), Tocharian B kokale ("wagon"), and Old Church Slavonic kolo ("wheel"). Pokorny (IEW 639–640) and Mallory & Adams (EIEC s.v. *kʷekʷlo-) provide extensive documentation.

The reconstruction of *kʷékʷlos is central to the dating of PIE, since wheeled vehicles are archaeologically datable to approximately 3500–3300 BCE. If the PIE speech community had a word for "wheel," it must have existed no earlier than the invention of the wheel — providing a terminus post quem for the proto-language.

Greek kýklos (κύκλος, "circle, ring, wheel") generated cycle, bicycle, tricycle, motorcycle, cyclone, and encyclopedia (enkýklios paideía, "circular/complete education"). The Cyclops (Kýklōps, "round-eye") connects to the same root.

Sanskrit cakrá- ("wheel, disc") became one of the most culturally significant terms in South Asian civilization: the chakra as a spiritual concept, the Sudarshana Chakra of Vishnu, and the Ashoka Chakra on the Indian flag all derive from this word.

Old English hwēol ("wheel") shows the expected reflex with *kʷ > hw- (later wh-). The word wheel is thus a direct cognate of Greek cycle and Sanskrit chakra — three superficially different words from one PIE source, illustrating the power of systematic sound correspondences.

Notes

gsc-gap: source of "wheel", "cycle", "bicycle", "encyclopedia", "chakra"

Laryngeal Analysis

No laryngeal.

Ablaut

Reduplicated formation from *kʷelh₁- ("to turn, to move around").