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  1. Word Family - Elf

    Teaser

    albino, auburn, daub, oaf, elf, Alfred, Oberon, Elbe, Arpad, Alps

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós white
      • Anatolian *albós
        • Hittite 𒀠𒉺𒀸 alpas cloud
      • Hellenic *alpʰós
        • Classical Greek ἀλφός alphós alphos, leprosy with white lesions
          • Latin alphos
            • English alphos
      • Italic *alβos white
        • Latin albus white, bright, pale, gray, fortunate
          • Central Romance
            • Dalmatian …
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  2. Word Family - Gossamer

    Introduction

    The period of unseasonably hot weather after an initial autumn cooling—now often called "Indian summer"—was previously called "goose summer" in English because it corresponds with the beginning of goose hunting season. Compare Irish fómhar beag na ngéanna: "warm period in Autumn (Indian summer)", literally "little autumn of …

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  3. Word Family - Cow

    June theme: Domestic Animals 🐕

    Introduction

    Proto-Indo-European has *gʷṓws: "cow, cattle" and possible *woḱéh₂: "(female) cow".

    And some other likely descendants of (the same?) Central Asian substrate words for "cattle": Sino-Tibetan *ŋwa: "cattle, ox", West Semitic *baḳar-: "cattle, ox"

    Teaser

    cow, butter, botany, beef, vaccine

    Full Text

    • ? Central Asian substrate?, a …
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  4. Word Family - Tree

    May theme: Plants 🌱

    Introduction

    In which dryad and druid are basically the same word, trust and tryst, trees and truce. Plus horse racing history.

    Teaser

    tree, true, true, endure, druid, dryad, larch, derby, tray, tray

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *drew- hard, firm, strong, wood, tree [1]
      • Proto-Indo-European *droweh₂yéti
        • Germanic *trūwijaną
          • North …
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  5. 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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  6. Word Family - Aqua

    August theme: Elements So Slow 🌎🌊

    Teaser

    Avon, Punjab, island, Scandinavia, aquarium, sewer, sober

    Full Text

    • Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- water, body of water
      • Anatolian *h₂epo river
        • Hittite *hapa river
          • Hittite 𒄩𒉺𒀀 ḫa-pa-a toward the river
      • Balto-Slavic
        • Lithuanian ùpė river
      • Celtic *abonā river
        • Brythonic *aβon
          • Cumbric *avon
            • Cumbric *Ir Avon Fresh-Water or Green-River …
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  7. Word Family - Easter

    Introduction

    The root *h₂ews-: "sunrise" may be connected to *h₂ew-: "away from, since, again" and *h₂ewg-: "to increase, to enlarge", compare for example *h₂éwgeh₂: "sunrise, dawn" (literally, "the increase") from *h₂ewg-.

    Teaser

    Eärendil, Easter, air, soar, east, Austria, Australia, early

    Full Text

    • Pre-Proto-Indo-European *qʷ:eb-??
      • Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew away from, since …
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