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1. Word Family - Star

   October theme: Nighttime 🌃

   Teaser

   atrium, arid, Astarte, star, disaster, ash, amaretto, ephemeral

   Full Text

   • Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₁- to be warm

     • Proto-Indo-European *h₂éh₁tis a warming abstract/action noun

       • Celtic *ātis furnace, kiln

         • Old Irish áith oven, grain kiln

           • Irish áith kiln
         • Celtic *ātinos

           • Brythonic *ọdɨn

             • Cornish *oden

               • Cornish odencolc lime-kiln
             • Welsh odyn …

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2. Word Family - Mead

   March theme: Bees 🐝

   Teaser

   mulch, marmalade, Melissa, mead, amethyst, methane

   Full Text

   • Unknown source

     • Proto-Indo-European *mélit honey ^[1]

       • Albanian mjaltë honey
       • Anatolian

         • Hittite 𒈪𒇷𒀉 mi-li-it honey
       • Armenian մեղր mełr honey

         • Armenian մեղու mełu bee
       • Celtic *meli honey

         • Brythonic

           • Welsh mêl honey
         • Old Irish mil

           • Irish mil honey
         • Celtic *melissis honey-like …

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3. Word Family - Brew

   September theme: Fire 🔥

   Teaser

   brew, broil, breed, ferment, burn, bourbon whiskey, broth, bread

   Full Text

   • Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- to bubble, to boil, to brew

     • Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁ti primary verb

       • Albanian mbruaj to knead
       • Celtic

         • Old Irish bruithid boils, seethes, cooks

           • Irish bruith to boil, to bake, to burn
       • Germanic *brewwaną to brew …

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4. Word Family - Water

   August theme: Earth and Water 🌎🌊

   Introduction

   *wed-: "water" and some potentially related other roots

   I love how Indo-European *udrós, "aquatic", became the word for "otter" in 4 out of the 5 branches where it is attested, except for Greek where it became "sea serpent".

   Teaser

   wash, otter, hydra, vodka, whiskey …

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