Proto-Indo-European is the hypothetical mother-tongue of all the Indo-European languages. The vocabulary of PIE allows anthropologists to make a pretty educated guess as to the homeland of the Indo-Europeans somewhere in Southwest Asia, perhaps on the steppes of the Volga. Being a very expansive culture, the archaeological record traces the movements of these people with such typically Indo-European things as horses, wheel vehicles, double-headed axes, pastoral economy, and patricarchal society. The lexicon of the reconstructed PIE shows a lot about culture, economy, religion, etc. Here are a few common PIE roots, with examples in later languages.

Since my main source for this write-up is Lyle Campbell's Historical Linguistics, ©1998, I will use his classifications, which are very good, in my opinion. The following are not in IPA, but there are guides to pronunciation. A consonant followed by 'h' indicates aspiration, 'ë' indicates a schwa, an acute accent mark indicates length, 'j' will indicate palatization, 'w' will indicate labialization, an underline will indicate voicelessness, 'j' also represents the 'y' sound of English, 'x' will be used to represent the 'laryngeals' when they occur. The '*' indicates a supposed proto-form. Here're the words:

Social Structure: PIE Society was patriarchal, patrilineal (descent through the father), and patrilocal (brides moved in with the husband's family). Societies were stratified, with a tribal king, noble and warrior class, and a peasant and farmer class.

  • *demë- 'house, household' (Greek(Gk.) despotés 'master', 'lord'... *dems-pot- 'house-master' (*-pot- 'powerful'), Latin(Lt.) dominus 'master of a household'... *dom-o-no)
  • *dá-mo 'division of society, community division by location' (Gr. démos 'people, land'; the source of English democracy)
  • *sel 'settlement'
  • *pelë- 'fortified high place', 'citadel' (Gr. polis 'city', Sanskrit (Sk.) púr)
  • *dhúno- 'fortified, enclosed place'(Celtic (Ct.) *dún-o- 'hill, stronghold', borrowed into Germanic as *túnaz 'fortified place', source of English town)
  • *bhergh 'high, hill, hill-forts' (English burg)(This might have actually been loaned into PIE)
  • *teutá- 'tribe' (Germanic(Gm.) *θeudá- 'people', seen in the English words Teuton, Dutch, and in German Deutsch 'German')
  • *rég- 'tribal king' (Norwegian rik 'realm', Latin réx (from reg-s, 'king (royal and priestly)'), Sk. *raja, rajan 'king, rajah'; these words are related to *reg- 'to move in a straight line')
  • *wí-ro- 'man, free man'
  • *ghos-ti 'guest, host, stranger', 'one with mutual obligations of hospitality' (compare Lt. hostis 'enemy'...'stranger')

Economy

  • *k(a)mb-jo- 'to exchange, to turn', derived from *skamb, *kamb 'to curve, bend' (compare Lt. cambiáre 'to exchange', seen in Spanish cambio 'change'; English change is borrowed from French)
  • *dap- 'to apportion (in exchange)'; suffixed *dap-no-is reflected in Lt. damnum 'damage entailing liability (for reparation), harm' (seen in damn, a loanword into English)
  • *wes- 'to buy'; in suffixed form *wes-no-, in Lt. vénum 'sale' (see loans in English vend, vendor)

Agriculture

  • grë-no- 'grain' (see English corn, kernel)
  • *jewo- 'grain'
  • *púro- 'grain'
  • *wrughjo- 'rye'
  • *bhares, *bhars- 'barley'
  • *al- 'to grind'
  • *melë-, *mel 'to grind, crush' (seen in English mill meal)
  • *sé- 'to sow' (the suffixed form *sé-ti- is reflected in Gm. *sédiz 'seed')(see English 'sow', 'seed')
  • *arë- 'to plough', arë-trom- 'plough' (compare the loanword arable in English)
  • *prk- 'furrow', 'trench' (seen in English furrow), derived from *perk- 'to dig out, tear out'
  • *solk-o- seen in Lt. sulcus 'furrow, groove' (derived from *selk- 'to draw, pull')
  • *wogwh-ini- 'ploughshare, wedge'
  • *jug-o- 'yoke' (derived from jeug- 'to join)
  • *serp- 'sickle, hook'
  • *kerp- 'to harvest, gather, pluck'
  • *gwerë-na- 'millstone, quern' (derived from *gwerë- 'heavy' (see English quern)
  • *agro- 'field, fallow land on which cattle were driven' (from *ag- 'to drive') (see English acre)

Domestic Animals

  • *gwou- 'bull, ox, cow' (English cow)
  • *owi- 'sheep' (see English ewe)
  • *agwh-no- 'lamb'
  • *aig- 'goat' (see English aegis)
  • *ghaido- 'goat' (English goat)
  • *sú- 'pig' (in suffixed form *suë-íno 'swine')(See English sow, swine)
  • *porko- 'young pig'
  • *kwon- 'dog' (see English hound)
  • *ekwo- 'horse' (Gr. hippos, Lt. equus, seen in Spanish yegua 'mare'; see loans in English equine, equestrian)(the horse was extremely important to the the rapid expansion of Indo-Europeans in the late third and early second millennia BC)
  • *ukws-en- 'bull, ox' (English ox)
  • *peku- 'wealth, moveable property, livestock' (see German Vieh 'cattle'; see English fee, fief); suffixed *peku-n- gives Lt. pecúnia 'property, wealth' (see the borrowing in English pecuniary)

Transport

  • *wegh- 'to go, transport in a vehicle' (see English way)
  • *wogh-no 'vehicle, wagon' (derived from *wegh- 'to go, transport in a vehicle') (English wagon, wain)
  • *kw(e)kwl-o- 'circle, wheel' (derived from *kwel- 'to revolve, move around') (see English wheel)
  • *aks-lo- 'axle' (see *aks- 'axis')
  • *náu- 'boat'(Lt. návis 'ship'; see English loans navy, navigate)
  • *erë-, *ré- 'to row' (Gm. *ró-, English row)

Technology (tools, implements, metals, weapons, musical instruments)

  • *ajes- 'copper or bronze' (see English ore)
  • .
  • *ghel- 'yellow metal, to shine' (the suffixed form *ghl-to- 'gold' is seen in Gm., as in English gold)
  • *arg- 'silver, white metal, to shine' (Lt. argentum 'silver', seen in French argent 'silver, money')
  • *dheigh- 'to form, build, mold, shape' (see English dough)
  • *arku- 'bow and arrow' (unsertain whether it meant 'bow' or 'arrow'; perhaps used as a unit; compare Lt. arcus 'bow', Gm. arhwó, English arrow)
  • *krut- 'musical instrument'

Household and food terms

  • *aukw- 'cooking pot' (Lt. aulla 'cooking pot' is from the suffixed form *aukw-slá-, the source of Spanish olla 'pot, jug'; with a different suffix we see Gm. *uhw-na- 'oven', the source of English oven)
  • *bhë-g- 'to bake' (derived from bhé- 'to warm') (English bake)
  • *sal-, *sald-o- 'salt' (English salt)
  • *melit 'honey' (French miel, Spanish miel 'honey')
  • *medhu 'honey, mead' (English mead)

Clothing and textiles

  • *wes- 'to clothe' (Lt. vestis 'garment' is from *wes-ti-, the source of French vêtir and Spanish vestir, both 'to clothe, to dress')(English wear)
  • *jós- 'to gird (to belt, wear a girdle)
  • *teks- 'fabricate' (especially with an axe), 'to weave' (textile)
  • *sné-, né- 'to spin, sew'; the suffixed form *né-tlá- gives 'needle' (see German nähen 'to sew'; English needle)
  • *webh- 'to weave' (English weft, web)
  • *sjú- 'to sew, bind' (English sew)
  • *wlë-ná-, *welë- 'wool' (probably derived from *wel- 'to tear, pull')

Religion

  • *deiw-os 'god', djeu-pëter 'chief god' (Jupiter, Zeus) (related to *deiw- 'to shine', with derivatives 'sky', heaven, god')
  • *kred-dhë- 'to place trust, believe' (religious term, based on *kerd- 'heart' + *dhé 'to do, place') (see English credence, credo)
  • *wegwh- 'to preach, speak solemnly' (as in the English loans vow, devote)
  • *sengwh- 'prophesy', 'to sing, make incantations' (English sing)
  • *gwerë- 'to praise aloud' (see Lt. and French loanwords in English grace, grateful, agree, and also in the borrowing from Ct. bard)
  • *tjegw- 'to retreat with awe'
  • *gwhedh- 'to pray, ask' (see English bid, bead)
  • *ghow-é- 'to honor, worship, revere (English gawk)
  • *kailo- 'holy, whole' (see English holy, hallow)
  • *meldh- 'to pray, speak words to a deity' (source of English meld)
  • *prek- 'to ask, entreat, pray' (English pray)
  • *sak 'to sanctify', *sak-ro 'holy, sacred', *sakro-dhót- 'performer of sacred rites' (dhót 'doer') (seen in Spanish sacerdote 'priest')
  • *sep- 'to foster, serve, venerate (the dead)', *sep-el-jo- 'to bury' (see English loan sepulchre)
  • *spend- 'to make an offering, perform a rite, hence engage oneself by a ritual act, to pour a libation' (compare Lt. spondére 'to make a solemn promise, pledge, betroth'; see English respond, responsible)
  • *wet- 'to blow, inspire, spiritually arouse', in Gm. *wód-eno-/*wód-ono- 'raging, mad, inspired', hence 'spirit', name of the chief Teutonic god, Woden in English (seen in Wednesday, literally 'Woden's day')