PIE Roots

An index of reconstructed Proto-Indo-European roots. Each entry links to a full page with descendant tables, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.

Filter:All abandonment ability absence abstract abundance achievement acquisition action activity adhesion adjustment age aging agriculture aid air alertness anatomy animal animals appearance approval architecture arrangement arrival art ascent attention authority awareness bearing beauty beginning belief binding biology bird birth blood body boundary breath building calculation calling care carrying causation celestial center cessation chance change chemistry choice clarification clarity classification cleaning cloth clothing cognition color colour commerce communication comparison compassion completeness concealment conflict confusion conjunction connection consciousness constriction construction consumption contact container containers containment control cooking cosmology counting courage covering craft crafting creation crime crossing custom cutting cycle damage darkness death decay deception decline defeat defense delay density departure deprivation depth desire destiny destruction direction discovery disease distinction distress distribution division domestic dream dress drink dryness duality duration duty dwelling earth education effort element elevation emotion emptiness enclosure endurance enjoyment entertainment establishment evaluation event excess exchange excretion existence extension extent extreme fame family fate fear fermentation fertility fighting fire fitness flatness flesh flight flow folding following food force form fortune foundation freedom fullness furniture gathering gender gentleness geography geometry giving glory governance grammar grooming growth habit habitation hand happiness harm health hearing heat height hygiene identity immersion impact increase information inquiry inspiration instability intensity intention joy judgment kinship knowledge labor landscape language law leadership learning life light limit liquid locomotion logic making management maritime marking material measurement medicine memory mental metal metallurgy military mind mission mixing mixture moisture moral motion movement multiplication music mythological mythology narrative nature negation number numbers nurture oath object obligation obscurity observation opening opposition order organ origin pain path pattern peace people perception performance permanence persistence person philosophy physical physical_property physical_state place placement plant play pleasure position possession posture power precipitation precision preposition preservation principle process product protection provision punishment purification purity pursuit qualities quality quantity reaction reading reasoning reduction relation relationship release religion remainder remnant repetition reproduction reputation rest result rigidity ritual rotation sacred safety science search season secrecy security selection sending sensation sense senses separation sequence service settlement shame shape sharpness shelter sign signal size skill sky smell smoke smoothness social society sound space spatial spectacle speech speed spirit stability stasis state status stealth strength structure structures substance suffering sufficiency supernatural support surface sustenance swelling taste teaching technology temperature temporal textile texture thought throwing time tool tools totality trade transfer transformation transport travel tree trust truth twisting union unity value vehicle verification vibration violence vision vitality void walking war warfare waste water wealth weapon weapons wear weariness weather weight will wisdom writing

H3 roots

Root	Meaning	Semantic Field	Confidence
h₂elk-	to ward off, to defend against disease	medicinedefense	medium
h₂erk-₃	to ward off, defend	protectiondefense	high
h₂erḱ-eyo-	to keep warding off, defending	protectiondefense	high

W1 root

werh₁-mn̥-

a covering, protective barrier

protectiondefense

high