June theme: Domestic Animals 🐕

Introduction

I get a little speculative here, if not downright provocative. There are words for dog all over Eurasia that recall each other. These could be onomatopoeic, but they do not much resemble the common forms you find in words that actually used as dog sound onomatopoeia. On the other hand, domestic animal words often go a-Wanderworting around the time of the domestication of the animal (compare the *mar type words for horse), and so "dog", as the very first domestic animal (Upper Paleolithic as opposed to Neolithic or Bronze Age) is exactly the word you'd expect to have been borrowed widely several thousand years beyond the horizon of confident reconstruction. But, ipso facto, we can't be confident of that.

I left out a whole part (as a step too far) where I tentatively reconstruct an Uto-Aztecan root for dog (and coyote) to the same approximate shape so this is the conservative form of this provocation!

Teaser

hound, canine, canary, Conan, cynic, Shiba Inu

Full Text

• ?

  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ *ḱwón *ḱwónm̥ *ḱunés dog

    • Anatolian

      • Hittite *ku-wa

        • Hittite 𒆪𒉿𒀸 ku-wa-aš dog handler, hound-man
    • Old Armenian շուն šun dog

      • Armenian շուն šun dog
      • Old Armenian շնիկ šnik little dog, doggy, Canis Minor dimunitive

        • Armenian շնիկ šnik little dog, doggy
    • Balto-Slavic *śwō *śúnin dog

      • Baltic

        • East Baltic

          • Latvian suns dog
          • Lithuanian šuõ dog
        • West Baltic

          • Old Prussian sunis dog
      • Slavic *sū-

        • Slavic *sùka female dog

          • East Slavic сꙋка suka female dog

            • Russian сука suka female dog
            • Ukrainian сука suka female dog
          • West Slavic

            • Czech suka
            • Polish suka female dog
          • Hungarian szuka female dog, female fox
    • Celtic *kū *konam dog, hound

      • Celtic *Kunobelenos personal name: Hound (Champion) of Belenos?, Hound-Strong?

        • Brythonic *Cunobelinos

          • Welsh Cynfelyn
          • Latin Cunobelinus
          • Medieval Latin Kimbelinus

            • English Cymbeline
      • Brythonic *ki dog

        • Breton ki dog
        • Cornish ki / kei dog
        • Middle Welsh ki dog

          • Welsh ci dog

            • Welsh corgi corgi lit. "stunted dog, dwarf dog"

              • English corgi
        • Pictish ᚉᚆᚒ chu dog, wolf
        • Brythonic *duβgi black dog ^[1]

          • Old English docga a kind of large, strong dog ^[1]

            • Middle English dogge dog, hunting dog ^[1]

              • English dog

                • English wild dog

                  • Tok Pisin weldok wild dog, fox, wolf
              • Scots dug dog
              • Yola dug
      • Gaulish cuna
      • Primitive Irish *cu *cuna

        • Primitive Irish ᚉᚑᚅᚐᚅᚅ Conann personal name: Hound

          • Old Irish Conan

            • Middle Irish

              • Irish Conan

                • English Conan
          • Brythonic

            • Breton Konan
            • Old Welsh Cinan / Kenan

              • Middle Welsh Cynan

                • Welsh Cynan
        • Old Irish cú / con dog, hound, wolf

          • Middle Irish cú dog, hound

            • Irish cú dog, hound, champion

              • Irish Cúan personal name: Hound
          • Old Irish Conall

            • Middle Irish Conall

              • Irish Conall

                • English Conal / Conall
          • Old Irish Conchobur personal name: Hound-Desiring

            • Middle Irish Conchobar

              • Irish Conchobhar
              • Irish Conchúr

                • English Connor
              • Manx Conchoor
              • Scottish Gaelic Conchobhar
            • Old Irish Úa Conchobur descendant of Conchobur

              • Middle Irish

                • Irish Ó Conchúir

                  • English O'Connor
          • Old Irish Cúcheanann personal name: Fair-Head-Hound

            • Middle Irish

              • Irish Ó Con Cheanainn descendant of Cúcheanann note: in becoming genitive, Cú is declined to Con seperate from cheanann declining to Cheanainn

                • English Concannon
          • Old Irish Cú Chulainn epithet: Culann's Hound

            • Middle Irish Cú Chulainn

              • Irish Cú Chulainn
              • Manx Cuchulainn
              • Scottish Gaelic Cuchulainn
            • English Cuchulain
      • Celtic *kounā pack of dogs, litter of puppies

        • Brythonic *kʉn

          • Middle Welsh cun

            • Welsh cun
        • Old Irish cúan little dog, puppies, litter, pack, band

          • Middle Irish cúan litter, pack, band, family

            • Irish cuain litter, brood, pack, band, company
      • Celtic *dubrokū otter

        • Brythonic *düβrgi otter

          • Breton dourgi otter
          • Cornish dowrgi otter
          • Welsh dyfrgi / dwrgi otter
        • Old Irish doburchú otter

          • Middle Irish

            • Irish dobharchú otter
            • Manx dooarchoo otter
            • Scottish Gaelic dobhar-chù otter
      • Celtic *Kunokwennos personal name: Hound-Head, Champion-Leader?

        • Gaulish *Cunopennos

          • Latin Cunopennus
        • Primitive Irish ᚉᚒᚅᚐᚉᚓᚅᚅᚔ Cunacenni

          • Old Irish Concenn

            • Welsh Cyngen
      • Celtic *Gyemokunos winter": "personal name: Hound of Winter

        • Primitive Irish ᚌᚐᚋᚔᚉᚒᚅᚐᚄ Gamicunas
      • Celtic *Kunowalos personal name: Hound-Prince
      • Celtic *Kunomaglos personal name: Hound-Noble

        • Primitive Irish ᚉᚒᚅᚐᚋᚐᚌᚂᚔ Cunamagli personal name: Hound-Noble
      • Celtic *Maglokunos personal name: Noble-Hound

        • Brythonic *Maɨlgun

          • Old Welsh Mailgun

            • Welsh Maelgwn
          • Latin Maglocunus

            • English Maglocune
        • Old Irish Máelchú
      • Celtic *Wirokū *Wirokon- personal name: Man-Hound

        • Brythonic *Wirokon *Gwurgi

          • Old Breton Gurki
          • Middle Welsh Gwrgi

            • English Gurgi
          • Brythonic *Wirokonion (hillfort) of Wiroki

            • Latin Viroconium / Viroconium Cornoviorum

              • Old English *Wreocen-ceaster

                • Old English Wreocensæte
                • Middle English

                  • English Wroxeter
    • Hellenic

      • Classical Greek κυνηγός kunēgós hunter

        • Classical Greek Κυνηγετικός Kunegetikos

          • English Cynegeticus
      • Classical Greek κυνάγχη kunánkhē dog collar, sore throat, tonsilitis

        • Latin cynanche tonsilitis

          • English cynache
          • Medieval Latin quinancia

            • Old French quinencie

              • English quinsy
      • Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀙 ku-na-
      • Doric Greek

        • Tsakonian κούε koúe dog
      • Classical Greek κύων / κυν- kúōn kun- dog

        • Classical Greek κυνικός kunikós doglike

          • Classical Greek Κυνικός Kunikos Cynic (philosopher)

            • Latin Cynicus Cynic

              • Western Romance

                • French cynique Cynic, cynic, cynical, canine

                  • English cynic
            • Korean 견유 gyeonyu cynic lit. "dog-scholar"
    • Indo-Iranian *ĉwā́ *ćwán *ćwā́nam *ćunás

      • Indo-Aryan *śwā́

        • Sanskrit śvā śvan śvānam śunaḥ dog, hound

          • Pali 𑀲𑁄𑀡 soṇa dog

            • Thai โสณ sǒon hound
          • Northwestern Sauraseni

            • Kashmiri ہوٗن hūn dog
          • Hindi श्वान śvān dog, hound
      • Iranian *sφā́ dog

        • Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬁 spā dog
        • Pashto سپی spay dog
        • Scythian

          • Saka

            • Khotani śve
        • Western Iranian

          • Northwestern Iranian

            • Kurdish سپە sipe dog
            • Medean σπακα spaka
            • East Slavic

              • Russian собака sobaka dog, hound

                • Aleut sabaakax
            • Medean *spakaniH dog-leader

              • Old Armenian ասպականի aspakani hunter, huntsman (with dogs)

                • Old Armenian ասպականի aspakani pack of hunting dogs with -ani reanalysed as a collective
            • Parthian

              • Persian اسبه esba dog
          • Old Persian 𐏂𐎣 çaka

            • Middle Persian

              • Persian سگ sag dog
              • Kurdish se / seg dog
    • Italic *kō *kwanem *kunes dog

      • Latin canis / canem

        • Vulgar Latin *cane

          • Central Romance

            • Italian cane dog
          • Eastern Romance

            • Romanian câine dog
          • Insular Romance

            • Sardinian cani
          • Western Romance

            • Old French chien dog

              • Middle French chien dog

                • French chien dog
        • Latin canīnus dog-like, canine

          • English canine

            • Malay kanin
          • French canin
          • Italian canino
          • Spanish canino
        • Latin canārius to do with dogs

          • Latin Insula Canaria Gran Canaria lit. Dog Island"

            • Latin Canariae Insulae Canary Islands the archipelago around Insula Canaria

              • Spanish Islas Canarias Canary Islands

                • English Canary Islands
                • Spanish canario a person or thing from the Canary Islands, a canary

                  • French canarie canary

                    • English canary
        • Latin canicula little dog, dogfish, Sirius (Dog Star) ^[2]

          • Western Romance

            • Old French

              • Middle French

                • French chenille caterpillar, chenille, whirligig

                  • English chenille
          • French canicule Sirius (Dog Star), dog days (of summer) ^[2]
          • Italian canicola dog days (of summer) ^[2]
          • Spanish canícula dog days (of summer) ^[2]
    • Tocharian *ku

      • Arshian ku dog
      • Kushean ku dog
    • Proto-Indo-European *kuntós *ḱwont-

      • Old Armenian սկունդ skund dog, puppy
      • Germanic *hundaz

        • East Germanic

          • Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 hunds dog
        • North Germanic *hundaʀ

          • Old Norse hundr dog

            • Old East Norse

              • Danish hund dog
              • Swedish hund dog

                • Finnish hunttu
            • Old West Norse

              • Faroese hundur dog
              • Icelandic hundur dog
          • North Germanic ᚹᛁᛞᚢᚺᚢᛞᚨᛉ widuhudaʀ personal name: Wood-Hound
        • West Germanic *hund

          • Old English hund dog

            • Middle English hund / hunde / honde / hounde dog, hound

              • English hound
              • Scots hund / hoond dog, hound
          • Frankish

            • Middle Dutch hont dog

              • Dutch hond»1 dog
          • Old High German hunt dog

            • Middle High German hunt dog

              • German Hund dog

                • German Dachshund dachshund

                  • English dachshund
              • Yiddish הונט hunt dog
          • Old Saxon hund dog

            • Middle Low German hund dog

              • Low German Hund dog
  • ?

    • Iranian *kútah

      • Scythian

        • Alanian

          • Ossetian куыдз k°yʒ dog
      • Sogdo-Bactrian

        • Bactrian κοδο kodo dog
      • Western Iranian

        • Northwestern Iranian

          • Balochi کچک kucak dog
          • Kurdish kûçik dog
    • Prakrit *kutta dog

      • Magadhi

        • Bengali কুত্তা kutta dog
      • Maharashtri 𑀓𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 kutta

        • Marathi कुत्रा kutrā dog
      • Sauraseni 𑀓𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 kutta

        • Madhya Sauraseni

          • Hindi कुत्ता kuttā dog
        • Pahari

          • Punjabi ਕੁੱਤਾ kutā dog
    • Sanskrit 𑀓𑀼𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀼𑀭𑀂 कुक्कुरः kukkuraḥ dog

      • Magadhi

        • Bengali কুকুর kukur dog
      • Sauraseni

        • Pahari

          • Nepali कुकुर kukura dog
  • ? **kul

    • Classical Greek kulla skulla

      • Classical Greek σκύλαξ skúlax puppy

        • Greek σκυλί skylí dog
      • Classical Greek σκύλῐον skúlion dogfish
    • Celtic *kulēnos puppy, whelp

      • Old Irish cuilén pup, cub, kitten

        • Irish coileán pup, cub, youth, trickster
    • Balto-Slavic

      • East Baltic

        • Lithuanian kalė female dog
    • Afro-Asiatic *kwl-

      • Afro-Asiatic *kwl-ab dog ^[3]

        • Semitic *kalb dog

          • East Semitic

            • Akkadian 𒌨𒌆 kalbu dog
          • West Semitic

            • Central Semitic

              • Arabic كَلْب kalb dog

                • Maltese kelb dog
              • Northwest Semitic

                • Aramaic 𐡊𐡋𐡁𐡀 kalbā
                • Canaanite

                  • Hebrew כֶּלֶב keleḇ dog

                    • Hebrew כָּלֵב Kaleb personal name: Dog

                      • Classical Greek Χαλεβ Khaleb

                        • English Caleb
                • Phoenician 𐤊𐤋𐤁 klb dog
              • Ugaritic 𐎋𐎍𐎁 klb
            • South Semitic

              • Ethiopic

                • Amharic ከልብ kälb dog
                • Tigrinya ከልቢ kälbi dog
              • Old South Arabian

                • Sabaean 𐩫𐩡𐩨 klb dog
  • Austronesian *(u-)(ŋ)kuɣ(kuɣ)

    • Paiwan kuku toy, pet
    • Puyuma kurkur puppy
    • Malayo-Polynesian *uŋkuʔ(kuʔ)

      • Malay kuyuk dog
      • Sundanese ᮌᮥᮌᮥᮊ᮪ guguk dog
      • Oceanic *kulii

        • Fijian koli dog
        • Micronesian

          • Chuukese konak
          • Marshallese kidu
        • Polynesian *kulii

          • Tongic

            • Tongan kulī dog
          • Outlier Polynesian

            • Anuta korii dog
          • Nuclear Polynesian

            • Samoic

              • Samoan ulī dog
              • Tokelauan kulī dog
            • Eastern Polynesian

              • Marquesic

                • Hawaiʻian ʻīlio dog, quadruped

                  • Hawaiʻian lio horse
              • Tahitic

                • Māori kurī dog
    • Japonic *iŋku

      • Japanese 犬 / いぬ inu dog

        • Japanese 柴犬 / しばいぬ shibainu Shiba Inu lit. "brushwood dog"

          • English Shiba Inu
      • Okinawan いん in dog
    • Para-Mongolic

      • Khitan 𘰕𘯛 ñ.qo dog
      • Tuoba *ñaqañ dog recorded in Chinese, transcribed 若干, glossed as 狗: "dog"
      • Mongolic *nokaï dog

        • Middle Mongolian ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ noqai

          • Mongolian нохой noxoj dog, wolf
          • Oirat ᠨᡆᡍᡆᡅ noxoi

            • Kalmyk ноха noxa dog
    • Tungusic

      • Evenki некэ ņekə sable (the animal)
      • Manchu ᠨᡳᠣᡥᡝ niohe wolf
    • Austroasiatic *cɔʔ dog

      • Khasic

        • Khasi ksew
      • Vietic *ʔa-cɔːʔ

        • Vietnamese chó dog
        • Khmer ច cɑɑ Year of the Dog
      • Old Chinese *koːʔ dog

        • Middle Chinese 狗 kəuX dog

          • Mandarin 狗 gǒu dog
          • Wu 狗 keu2 dog
          • Yue 狗 gau2 dog
          • Hokkien 狗 káu dog
          • Korean 견 gyeon dog

            • Korean 견유 gyeonyu cynic lit. "dog-scholar"
          • Vietnamese cẩu dog
          • Middle Chinese 天狗 tʰen-kəuX mythological creature lit. "heaven-dog"

            • Japanese 天狗 / てんぐ tengu mythological creature

              • English tengu
        • Min
        • Korean 구 gu dog
        • Oghuz *köp-ek dog all branches of Turkish have *īt: "dog", but only Oghuz languages also have *köpek

          • Turkish köpek dog
    • Austroasiatic *cgəj dog

      • Vietic

        • Vietnamese cầy dog, civet
      • Khasic

        • Khasi skei muntjac, barking deer
      • Khmeric

        • Khmer ឆ្កែ chkae dog
      • Sino-Tibetan *(d)-kʷəɣ-(n) dog

        • Old Chinese 犬 *kʰʷeːnʔ ^[4]

          • Middle Chinese

            • Mandarin 犬 quǎn dog
            • Wu 犬 qyoe2 dog
            • Yue 犬 hyun2 dog
          • Min

            • Hokkien 犬 khián dog
          • Korean 개 gae dog
        • Tibeto-Burman

          • Burmese ခွေး hkwe: dog
          • Tibetan ཁྱི khyi dog
  • Northeast Caucasian *χːHwеje

    • Avar гьой hoj dog
    • Dargwa хя χə dog
    • Lak ккаччи k̄ač̄i dog
    • Lezgi кицӏ kic̣ dog

Visual

Collected English words

cynache, quinsy, Maglocune, Gurgi, Wroxeter, corgi, dog, wild dog, Conan, Conal, Connor, O'Connor, Concannon, Cuchulain, Cymbeline, cynic, Cynegeticus, canine, Canary Islands, canary, chenille, hound, dachshund, Caleb, Shiba Inu, tengu

Footnotes

1. ^

   English dog is ultimately unexplained, despite considerable effort over the years. We can trace it only as far as Old English docga, which is thought to contain the suffix -ga also found in frog and pig, suggesting the existence of a morpheme *doc?. It has been suggested this could be the same as fingerdocce, which might mean "finger muscle", but definitely means "foxglove", so "finger-plant" could be the original meaning, compare burdock, common dock, Danish dokke. This "supposed muscle, powerful" word can also not be traced beyond Old English. So the "muscle dog" theory is highly tentative.

   Since this *doc? morpheme cannot be traced to any Germanic source predating the Old English arriving in Brittain, I think at least as likely that it is derived from a Brittanic dog breed name meaning "black dog", equivalent to Welsh du: "black" + ci: "dog", in the same pattern as corgi: "dwarf dog" and Gwyllgi: "Twilight Dog", a mythic creature pictured as a black mastiff (note Old English docga is probably also a kind of mastiff).

2. ^

   The "dog days" of summer—the hot days in the summer between in July, August, and/or September—are so-called because they coincide with the part of the year when the star Sirius rises at the same time as the Sun. Note also Sirius from Σείρῐος: "scorching, destructive".

3. ^

   For the -ab suffix in Afro-asiatic *kwl-ab, compare *ǯiʾ-b-: "wolf", *ʿaqr-ab: "scorpion", *θaʿl-ab: "fox", *dab-b: "bear". Argued by Diakonoff to be the best preserved part of a no longer productive nominal class system from Pre-Afro-Asiatic.

4. ^

   Chinese 犬 quǎn is probably an older word, now mostly replaced by 狗 gǒu, with 犬 quǎn now appearing mostly in compounds. (Note, 狗 is a compound sign that uses 犬 as a semantic radical.)