This article contains characters used to write reconstructed Proto-Indo-European words (for an explanation of the notation, see Proto-Indo-European phonology). Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode combining characters and Latin characters.
The numerals and derived numbers of the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) have been reconstructed by modern linguists based on similarities found across all Indo-European languages. The following article lists and discusses their hypothesized forms.
Cardinal numbers
The cardinal numbers are reconstructed as follows:
| Number | Reconstruction (Sihler) | Reconstruction (Beekes) |
|---|---|---|
| one | *Hoi-no-/*Hoi-wo-/*Hoi-k(ʷ)o-; *sem- | *Hoi(H)nos ; sem-/sm̥- |
| two | *d(u)wo- | *du̯oh₁ |
| three | *trei- (full grade) / *tri- (zero grade) | *trei̯es |
| four | *kʷetwor- (o-grade) / *kʷetur- (zero grade) (see also the kʷetwóres rule) |
*kʷétu̯ōr |
| five | *penkʷe | *penkʷe |
| six | *s(w)eḱs; originally perhaps *weḱs | *(s)u̯éks |
| seven | *septm̥ | *séptm̥ |
| eight | *(h₁)oḱtṓw or *h₃eḱtō, *h₃eḱtow | *h₃eḱteh₃ |
| nine | *(h₁)newn̥ | *(h₁)néun |
| ten | ] | *déḱm̥t |
| twenty | *wīḱm̥t-; originally perhaps *widḱomt- | *du̯idḱm̥ti |
| thirty | *trīḱomt-; originally perhaps *tridḱomt- | *trih₂dḱomth₂ |
| forty | *kʷetwr̥̄ḱomt-; originally perhaps *kʷetwr̥dḱomt- | *kʷeturdḱomth₂ |
| fifty | *penkʷēḱomt-; originally perhaps *penkʷedḱomt- | *penkʷedḱomth₂ |
| sixty | *s(w)eḱsḱomt-; originally perhaps *weḱsdḱomt- | *u̯eksdḱomth₂ |
| seventy | *septm̥̄ḱomt-; originally perhaps *septm̥dḱomt- | *septm̥dḱomth₂ |
| eighty | *oḱtō(u)ḱomt-; originally perhaps *h₃eḱto(u)dḱomt- | *h₃eḱth₃dḱomth₂ |
| ninety | *(h₁)newn̥̄ḱomt-; originally perhaps *h₁newn̥dḱomt- | *h₁neundḱomth₂ |
| hundred | *ḱm̥tom; originally perhaps *dḱm̥tom | *dḱm̥tóm |
| thousand | *ǵʰeslo-; *tusdḱomti (originally "big hundred") | *ǵʰesl- |
Other reconstructions typically differ only slightly from Beekes and Sihler. A nineteenth-century reconstruction (by Brugmann) for thousand is *tūsḱmtiə. See also Fortson 2004.
The elements *-dḱomt- (in the numerals "twenty" to "ninety") and *dḱm̥t- (in "hundred") are reconstructed on the assumption that these numerals are derivatives of *deḱm̥(t) "ten".
Lehmann believes that the numbers greater than ten were constructed separately in the dialect groups and that *ḱm̥tóm originally meant "a large number" rather than specifically "one hundred."
This table is transcluded from Indo-European vocabulary. (edit | history) See also: Proto-Indo-European numerals| PIE | English | Gothic | Latin | Ancient Greek | Sanskrit | Iranian | Slavic | Baltic | Celtic | Armenian | Albanian | Tocharian | Hittite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *sem- "one, together" | same (< ON samr); OE sam- "together"; | sama "same" | sem-el "once", sem-per "always", sim-plex "single, simple", sin-gulī "one each, single" | heĩs, hén, mía "one" < *sems, *sem, *smiH₂ | sam- "together", samá "same, equal, any" | Av hama-, OPers hama- "any, all"
Past sam "even, fine" |
OCS samŭ "self, alone, one" | Lith sam-, są- "with"; OPrus sa-, sen- "with, dividing" | OIr samlith "at the same time"; W hafal "equal" | mi "one" | gjithë “all” < PAlb *semdza | A sas, B ṣe "one" < *sems | |
| *(h₁)óynos, (h₁)óywos "one" | one (< OE ān) | ains "one" | ūnus (archaic oinos) | oĩnos "one (on a die)", oĩ(w)os "alone" | (ēka- < *oi-ko-; Mitanni-Aryan aika-vartana "one turn (around a track)") | Av aēva-, OPers aiva-, (NPers yek- "one, only, alone") | OCS inŭ "one, another" | Lith víenas, OPrus ains "one" | OIr ōen, W un "one" | andr-ēn "right there", ast-ēn "right here" | ? Gheg tânë, Tosk tërë "all" < PIE *tod-oino-; ??? një "one" < *ňân < PIE *eni-oino- | B -aiwenta "group" < "*unit" | ās "one" |
| *dwóh₁ , neut. *dwóy(H₁) "two" | two (< OE twā) | twái (fem. twōs, neut. twa) "two" | duo "two" | dúō "two" | dvā́(u) "two" | Av dva, fem. neut. baē "two"; NPers do "two"; Kurd diwa "two (fem.)" | OCS dŭva "two" | Lith dù, OPrus dwai "two" | OIr da, W dau (fem. dwy) "two" | erku "two" | dy "two" | A wu, B wi "two"(<PTC *tuwó) | dā-, ta-; HLuw tuwa/i- "two"; Lyc kbi- "two"; Mil tba "two" |
| *tréyes (fem. *tisres, neut. *tríH₂) "three" | three (< OE þrīe) | þreis "three" | trēs "three" | treĩs "three" | tráyas (fem. tisrás) "three" | Av θrayō, θrayas (fem. tisrō, neut. θri), OPers çi-, Parth hrē "three" | OCS trĭje "three" | Lith trỹs, OPrus tris, Latg treis "three" | OIr trí (fem. téoir), W tri (fem. tair, teir) "three" | erekʿ "three" | tre masc., tri fem. "three" | A tre, B trai "three" | tri- "three"; teriyas- (gen. pl.) |
| *kʷetwóres (fem. *kʷétesres, neut. *kʷetwṓr) "four" | four (< OE fēower) | fidwor "four" (In Germanic influenced by pénkʷe "five") | quattuor "four" | téssares "four" | masc. catvā́ras (acc. catúras), neut. catvā́ri, fem. cátasras "four" | Av masc. čaθwārō (acc. čaturąm), fem. čataŋrō "four"; NPers čahār "four"; Kurd çwar | OCS četyre "four" | Lith keturì, OPrus ketturei "four" | Gaul petuar "four"
OIr ceth(a)ir (fem. cethēoir, influenced by fem. tēoir "three") "four"; W pedwar (fem. pedair) "four" |
čʿorkʿ, kʿaṙ (rare) "four | katër "four" | A śtwar, B śtwer "four" | (remodelled in Hittite and Luwian)
Lyc Teteri |
| *pénkʷe "five" | five (< OE fīf) | fimf "five" | quīnque "five" | pénte "five" | páñca "five"; Mitanni-Aryan panza- "five" | Av panča "five"; Kurd pênc/pênz | OCS pętĭ "five" | Lith penkì, OPrus penkei "five" | Gaul pinpe-, pompe "five" | hing "five" | pesë "five" | A päñ, B piś "five" | Luw paⁿta "five" |
| *swéḱs "six" | six (< OE siex) | sáihs "six" | sex "six" | héx, dial. wéx "six" | ṣáṣ "six" | Av xšvaš "six" | OCS šestĭ "six" | Lith šešì, OPrus uššai "six" | Celtib sues "six"; | vecʿ "six" | gjashtë "six" | A ṣäk, B ṣkas "six" | |
| *septḿ̥ "seven" | seven (< OE seofon) | sibun "seven" | septem "seven" | heptá "seven" | saptá "seven"; Mitanni-Aryan šatta- "seven" | Av hapta, NPers haft-, "seven" | OCS sedmĭ "seven" | Lith septynì, OPrus septinnei "seven" | OIr secht, W saith "seven" | eawtʿn "seven" | shtatë "seven" | A ṣpät, B ṣukt "seven" | sipta- "seven" |
| *h₁oḱtṓ(w) "eight" | eight (< OE eahta) | ahtáu "eight" | octō "eight" | oktṓ "eight" | aṣṭā́(u) "eight" | Av ašta "eight" | OCS osmĭ "eight" | Lith aštuonì, OPrus astonei, Latg ostoni "eight" | Gaul oxtu- "eight" | utʿ "eight" | tetë "eight" < *H₁ok̂tō-t- | A okät, B okt "eight" | Lyc aitãta "eight" |
| *(h₁)néwn̥ "nine" | nine (< OE nigon) | niun "nine" | novem "nine" | ennéa "nine" | náva "nine" | Av nava, NPers noh- "nine" | OCS devętĭ "nine" < *newn̥-ti- (Influenced by dékm̥t "ten") | Lith devynì (influenced by dékm̥t "ten"), OPrus newinei "nine" | OIr noí n-, W naw "nine" | inn "nine" | nëntë "nine" < *newn̥-ti- | AB ñu | Lyc nuñtãta "nine" |
| *déḱm̥t "ten" | ten (< OE tien) | taíhun "ten" | decem "ten" | déka "ten" | dáśa "ten" | Av dasa, NPers dah- "ten" | OCS desętĭ "ten" | Lith dẽšimt, OPrus desimtan "ten" | Gaul decam- "ten"; | tasn "ten" | dhjetë "ten" < *dék̂m̥t-i- | A śäk, B śak "ten" | |
| *wídḱm̥ti(h₁) "twenty" < *dwi-dḱm̥t-i(h₁) "two tens" | (remodelled) | (remodelled) | vīgintī "twenty" | eíkosi "twenty" | viṁśatí "twenty", dviṁśatí "twenty" | Av vīsaiti, Ossetian insäi "twenty" | (remodelled) | Lith dvidešimt "twenty" | OIr fiche (fichet), OW uceint "twenty" | kʿsan "twenty" | zet "twenty" | A wiki, B ikäṃ "twenty" | |
| *ḱm̥tóm "hundred" < *dḱm̥tóm | hundred (< OE hund, hund-red) | hunda (pl.) "hundred" | centum "hundred" | he-katón "hundred" | śatám "hundred" | Av satǝm "hundred" | OCS sŭto "hundred" | Lith šim̃tas, OPrus simtan "hundred" | OIr cét, W can(t) "hundred" | qind "hundred" (possibly borrowed from Latin centum) | A känt, B kante "hundred" |
Gender of numerals
The numbers three and four had feminine forms with the suffix *-s(o)r-, reconstructed as *t(r)i-sr- and *kʷetwr̥-sr-, respectively.
Numerals as prefixes
Special forms of the numerals were used as prefixes, usually to form bahuvrihis (like five-fingered in English):
| Number | Prefix (Fortson) |
|---|---|
| one- (together, same) | *sm̥- |
| two- | *dwi- |
| three- | *tri- |
| four- | *kʷ(e)tru- or *kʷetwr̥- |
Ordinal numbers
The ordinal numbers are difficult to reconstruct due to their significant variation in the daughter languages. The following reconstructions are tentative:
- "first" is formed with *pr̥h₃- (related to some adverbs meaning "forth, forward, front" and to the particle *prō "forth", thus originally meaning "foremost" or similar) plus various suffixes like *-mo-, *-wo- (cf. Latin primus, Russian perv-).
- "second": The daughter languages use a wide range of expressions, often unrelated to the word for "two" (including Latin and English), so that no PIE form can be reconstructed. A number of languages use the form derived from *h₂enteros meaning "the other " (cf. OCS vĭtorŭ, Lithuanian añtras, Old Icelandic annarr, modern Icelandic annar).
- "third" to "sixth" were formed from the cardinals plus the suffix *-t(ó)-: *tr̥-t(ó)- / *tri-t(ó)- "third" etc.
- "seventh" to "tenth" were formed by adding the thematic vowel *-ó- to the cardinal: *oḱtow-ó- "eighth" etc.
The cardinals ending in a syllabic nasal (seven, nine, ten) inserted a second nasal before the thematic vowel, resulting in the suffixes *-mó- and *-nó-. These and the suffix *-t(ó)- spread to neighbouring ordinals, seen for example in Vedic aṣṭamá- "eighth" and Lithuanian deviñtas "ninth".
Reflexes
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Reflexes, or descendants of the PIE reconstructed forms in its daughter languages, include the following.
Reflexes of the cardinal numbers
| Number | Reconstruction (Sihler) | Reflexes |
|---|---|---|
| one | *Hoi-no- | Alb. njã > një (dialectal nji/njo), Lith. vienas, Latv. viens, Gaul. oinos, Gm. ein/eins, Eng. ān/one, Gk. οἶος oîos, Av. aēuua, Ir. óin/aon, Kashmiri akh, Lat. ūnus, Roman. unu, Osc. uinus, OCS edinŭ, ON einn, OPruss. aīns, Osset. iu/ieu, Pers. aiva-/yek, Kamviri ev, Pol. jeden, Russ. odin, Ved. aika, Umbr. uns, Goth. ains, Welsh un, Kurdish (Kurmanji) yek/êk |
| *sem- | Arm. mi/mek/meg, Alb. gjithë, Lith. sa, sav-as, Eng. sum/some, Gm. saman/zusammen, Gk. εἷς heîs, Hitt. san, Av. hakeret, Ir. samail/samhail, Lat. semel, Lyc. sñta, Kamviri sâ~, Pers. hama/hamin, Russ. odin, yedin, perviy Ved. sakŕ̥t, Toch. sas/ṣe, Welsh hafal, ON sami, Goth. sama | |
| two | *du(w)o- | Hitt. dā-, Luv. tuwa/i-, Lyc. kbi-, Mil. tba-, Ved. dvā(u), Av. duua, Pers. duva/do, Osset. dyuuæ/duuæ, Kashmiri zū', Kamviri dü, Gk. δύο dúo, Lat. duō, Osc. dus, Umbr. tuf, Roman. doi, ON tveir, Goth. twai, Eng. twā/two, Gm. zwêne/zwei, Gaul. vo, Ir. dá/dó, Welsh dau, Arm. erkow/yerku/yergu, Toch. wu/wi, OPruss. dwāi, Latv. divi, Lith. dù, OCS dŭva, Pol. dwa, Russ. dva, Alb. dy;di/dy;dў, Kurdish (Kurmanji) du |
| three | *trei- | Hitt. teriyaš (gen. pl.), Lyc. trei, Ved. tráyas, Av. θrāiiō, Pers. çi/se, Osset. ærtæ/ærtæ, Kashmiri tre, Kamviri tre, Gk. τρεῖς treîs, Lat. trēs, Osc. trís, Umbr. trif, Roman. trei, ON þrír, Goth. þreis, Eng. þrēo/three, Gm. drī/drei, Gaul. treis, Ir. treí/trí, Welsh tri, Arm. erek῾/yerek῾/yerek῾, Toch. tre/trai, OPruss. tri, Latv. trīs, Lith. trỹs, OCS trije, Pol. trzy, Russ. tri, Alb. tre/tre. Kurdish (Kurmanji) sê |
| four | *kʷetwor- | Lyc. teteri, Ved. catvāras, Av. caθuuārō, Pers. /čahār, Osset. cyppar/cuppar, Kashmiri tsor, Kamviri što, Gk. τέτταρες téttares, Lat. quattuor, Osc. petora, Roman. patru, Umbr. petor, ON fjórir, Goth. fidwor, Eng. fēower/four, Gm. feor/vier, Gaul. petor, Ir. cethir/ceathair, Welsh pedwar, Arm. čork῾/čors/čors, Toch. śtwar/śtwer, OPruss. keturjāi, Latv. četri, Lith. keturì, OCS četyre, Pol. cztery, Russ. četyre, Alb. katër;katrë/katër, Kurdish (Kurmanji) çar |
| five | *pénkʷe | Luv. pata, Ved. pañca, Av. panca, Pers. panča/panj, Osset. fondz/fondz, Kashmiri pā.~tsh Kamviri puč, Gk. πέντε pénte, Lat. quīnque, Roman. cinci, Osc. pompe, Umbr. pumpe, ON fimm, Goth. fimf, Eng. fīf/five, Gm. fimf/fünf, Gaul. pempe, Ir. cóic/cúig, Welsh pump, Arm. hing/hing/hink, Toch. päñ/piś, OPruss. pēnkjāi, Latv. pieci, Lith. penkì, OCS pętĭ, Pol. pięć, Russ. pjat', Alb. pesë/pes(ë);pês, Kurdish (Kurmanji) pênc |
| six | *s(w)eḱs | Ved. ṣáṣ, Av. xšuuaš, Pers. /šeš, Osset. æxsæz/æxsæz, Kashmiri śe, Kamviri ṣu, Gk. ἕξ héx, Lat. sex, Osc. sehs, Umbr. sehs, ON sex, Goth. saíhs, Eng. siex/six, Gm. sëhs/sechs, Gaul. suex, Ir. sé/sé, Welsh chwech, Arm. vec῾/vec῾/vec῾, Toch. ṣäk/ṣkas, OPruss. usjai, Latv. seši, Lith. šešì, OCS šestĭ, Pol. sześć, Roman. șase, Russ. šest', Alb. gjashtë/gjasht(ë);xhasht, Kurdish (Kurmanji) şeş |
| seven | *septm̥ | Hitt. šipta-, Ved. saptá, Av. hapta, Pers. hafta/haft, Osset. avd/avd, Kashmiri sath, Kamviri sut, Gk. ἑπτά heptá, Lat. septem, Osc. seften, Roman. șapte, ON sjau, Goth. sibun, Eng. seofon/seven, Gm. sibun/sieben, Gaul. sextan, Ir. secht/seacht, Welsh saith, Arm. ewt῾n/yot῾/yot῾ě, Toch. ṣpät/ṣukt, OPruss. septīnjai, Lith. septynì, Latv. septiņi, OCS sedmĭ, Pol. siedem, Russ. sem', Alb. shtatë/shtat(ë), Kurdish (Kurmanji) heft |
| eight | *h₃eḱtō | Lyc. aitãta-, Ved. aṣṭā(u), Av. ašta, Pers. ašta/hašt, Osset. ast/ast, Kashmiri ā.ṭh, Kamviri uṣṭ, Gk. ὀκτώ oktṓ, Lat. octō, Roman. opt, Osc. uhto, ON átta, Goth. ahtau, Eng. eahta/eight, Gm. ahto/acht, Gaul. oxtū, Ir. ocht/ocht, Welsh wyth, Arm. owt῾/ut῾ě, Toch. okät/okt, OPruss. astōnjai, Latv. astoņi, Lith. aštuonì, OCS osmĭ, Pol. osiem, Russ. vosem', Alb. tëte/tet(ë), Kurdish (Kurmanji) heşt |
| nine | *(h₁)newn̥ | Lyc. ñuñtãta-, Ved. nava, Av. nauua, Pers. nava/noh, Kashmiri nav, Kamviri nu, Gk. ἐννέ(ϝ)α enné(w)a, Lat. novem, Osc. nuven, Umbr. nuvim, Roman. nouă, ON níu, Goth. niun, Eng. nigon/nine, Gm. niun/neun, Gaul. navan, Ir. nói/naoi, Welsh naw, Arm. inn/inn/inně, TochA. ñu, OPruss. newīnjai, Latv. deviņi, Lith. devynì, OCS devętĭ, Pol. dziewięć, Russ. devjat', Alb. nëntë/nëndë/nând(ë);non(t), Kurdish (Kurmanji) neh, no |
| ten | *deḱm̥(t) | Ved. dáśa, Av. dasa, Pers. daθa/dah, Osset. dæs/dæs, Kashmiri da.h, Kamviri duc, Gk. δέκα déka, Lat. decem, Osc. deken, Umbr. desem, Roman. zece, ON tíu, Goth. taíhun, Eng. tīen/ten, Gm. zëhen/zehn, Gaul. decam, Ir. deich/deich, Welsh deg, Arm. tasn/tas/dasě, Toch. śäk/śak, OPruss. desīmtan, Latv. desmit, Lith. dẽšimt, OCS desętĭ, Pol. dziesięć, Russ. desjat', Alb. dhjetë/dhet(ë), Kurdish (Kurmanji) deh, de |
| twenty | *wīḱm̥t- | Ved. viṁśatí-, Av. vīsaiti, Pers. /bēst, Kashmiri vuh, Kamviri vici, Doric ϝίκατι wíkati, Lat. vīgintī, Gaul. vocontio, Ir. fiche/fiche, M. Welsh ugein(t), Arm. k῾san/k῾san/k῾san, Toch. wiki/ikäṃ, Lith. dvi-de-šimt, Alb. njëzet/njizet, Kurdish (Kurmanji) bîst |
| thirty | *trīḱomt- | Skr. triṅśat, Gk. τριάκοντα triákonta, Lat. trīgintā, Ir. trícho/tríocha, Lith. tris-de-šimt, Kurdish (Kurmanji) sih, sî |
| forty | *kʷetwr̥̄ḱomt- | Skr. catvāriṅśat, Gk. τεσσαράκοντα tessarákonta, Lat. quadrāgintā, Ir. cethorcho/ceathracha, Lith. keturias-de-šimt, Kurdish (Kurmanji) çil |
| fifty | *penkʷēḱomt- | Skr. pañcāśat, Gk. πεντήκοντα pentḗkonta, Lat. quinquāgintā, Ir. coíca/caoga, Lith. penkias-de-šimt, Kurdish (Kurmanji) pênceh, pêncî |
| sixty | *s(w)eḱsḱomt- | Skr. ṣaṣṭih, Gk. ἑξήκοντα hexḗkonta, Lat. sexāgintā, Ir. sesca/seasca, Lith. šešias-de-šimt, Russ. šest'desjat, Kurdish (Kurmanji) şêst |
| seventy | *septm̥̄ḱomt- | Skr. saptatih, Gk. ἑβδομήκοντα hebdomḗkonta, Lat. septuāgintā, Ir. sechtmoga/seachtó, Lith. septynias-de-šimt, Russ. sem'desjat, Kurdish (Kurmanji) heftê |
| eighty | *h₃eḱtō(u)ḱomt- | Skr. aśītih, Gk. ὀγδοήκοντα ogdoḗkonta, Lat. octōgintā, Ir. ochtmoga/ochtó, Lith. aštuonias-de-šimt, Russ. vosem'desjat, Kurdish (Kurmanji) heştê |
| ninety | *(h₁)newn̥̄ḱomt- | Skr. navatih, Gk. ἐνενήκοντα enenḗkonta, Lat. nōnāgintā, Ir. nócha/nócha, Lith. devynias-de-šimt, Russ. devjanosto, Kurdish (Kurmanji) not, newet |
| hundred | *ḱm̥tom | Ved. śatám, Av. satəm, Roman. sută, Pers. /sad, Osset. sædæ, Kashmiri śath, Gk. ἑκατόν hekatón, Lat. centum, ON hundrað, Goth. hund, Eng. hundred/hundred, Gm. hunt/hundert, Gaul. cantam, Ir. cét/céad, Welsh cant, Toch. känt/kante, Latv. simts, Lith. šim̃tas, OCS sŭto, Pol. sto, Russ. sto/sotnja, Kurdish (Kurmanji) sed |
| thousand | *(sm̥-)ǵʰéslo- | Skr. sahasram, Av. hazarəm, Pers. /hazār, Gk. χίλιοι khílioi, Lat. mīlle, Kurdish (Kurmanji) hezar |
| *tusdḱomti | ON þúsund, Goth. þūsundi, Eng. þūsend/thousand, Gm. þūsunt/tausend, TochA. tmāṃ, TochB. tmāne/tumane, Lith. tūkstantis, Latv. tūkstots, OCS tysǫšti, Pol. tysiąc, Russ. tys'ača | |
| *wel-tyo- | Toch. wälts/yaltse; OCS velьjь/velikъ |
In the following languages, reflexes separated by slashes mean:
- Albanian: Tosk Albanian / Gheg Albanian
- Armenian: Classical Armenian / Eastern Armenian / Western Armenian
- English: Old English / Modern English
- German: Old High German / New High German
- Irish: Old Irish / Modern Irish
- Ossetic: Iron / Digor
- Persian: Old Persian / Modern Persian
- Tocharian: Tocharian A / Tocharian B
Reflexes of the feminine numbers
| Number | Reconstruction | Reflexes |
|---|---|---|
| three | *t(r)i-sr- | Ved. tisrás, Av. tišrō, Gaul. tidres, Ir. teoir/? |
| four | *kʷetwr̥-sr- | Ved. cátasras, Av. cataŋrō, Lith. keturios, Ir. cetheoir/? |
Reflexes of the numeral prefixes
| Number | Reconstruction | Reflexes (with examples) |
|---|---|---|
| one- (together, same) | *sm̥- | Ved. sa-kŕ̥t "once", Gk. ᾰ̔πλόος haplóos "one-fold, simple", Lat. sim-plex "one-fold" |
| two- | *dwi- | Ved. dvi-pád- "two-footed", Gk. dí-pod- "two-footed", Archaic Lat. dui-dent "a sacrificial animal with two teeth", Lith. dvi-kojis "two-footed" |
| three- | *tri- | Ved. tri-pád- "three-footed", Gk. trí-pod- "three-footed (table)", Lat. tri-ped- "three-footed", Lith. tri-kojis "three-footed", Gaul. tri-garanus "having three cranes", Alb. tri-dhjetë "thirty" (three ten) |
| four- | *kʷ(e)tru- | Ved. cátuṣ-pád- "four-footed", Av. caθru-gaoša- "four-eared", Gk. tetrá-pod- "four-footed", Lat. quadru-ped- "four-footed", Lith. ketur-kojis "four-footed" |
Reflexes of the ordinal numbers
| Number | Reconstruction | Reflexes |
|---|---|---|
| first | *pr̥h₃-wó- | Ved. pūrviyá-, Lat. prīvus, OCS prĭvŭ, Pol. pierwszy, Russ. pervyj, Toch. parwät/parwe |
| *pr̥h₃-mó- | Goth. fruma, Lith. pìrmas, Latv. pirmais, Lat. prīmus, Osc. perum | |
| other forms | Eng. fyrst/first, Hitt. para, Lyc. pri, Av. pairi, vienet-as, paoiriia,
Osset. fyccag, farast/farast, Kamviri pürük, Gk. πρῶτος prôtos, Umbr. pert, ON fyrstr, Gm. furist/Fürst "prince, ruler"; fruo/früh "early", | |
| second | *(d)wi-teró- | Skr. dvitīya, Gk. δεύτερος deúteros, Russ. vtoroj |
| third | *tri-t(y)ó- | Ved. tr̥tīya-, Gk. τρίτος trítos, Lat. tertius, |
| fourth | *kʷetwr̥-tó- | Gk. τέταρτος tétartos, Eng. feorþa/fourth, OCS četvrĭtŭ,
Alb. (i) katërt, Lat. quārtus, Lith. ketvirtas, Russ. chetv'ortyj |
| fifth | *penkʷ-tó- | Av. puxδa-, Gk. πέμπτος pémptos, |
| sixth | *sweḱs-tó- | Gk. ἕκτος héktos, Lat. sextus, |
| seventh | *septm̥-(m/t)ó- | Gk. ἕβδομος hébdomos, Lat. septimus, OCS sedmŭ,
Lith. sẽkmas (then displaced by the neologism "septintas") Russ. sed'moj |
| eighth | *h₃eḱtōw-ó-s | Gk. ὄγδο(ϝ)ος ógdo(w)os, Lat. octāvus,
Russ. vos'moj |
| *oḱtm-o-s? | Lith. ašmas (then displaced by the neologism "aštuntas") | |
| ninth | *(h₁)newn̥-(n/t)ó- | Lat. nōnus, |
| tenth | *deḱm̥-(m/t)ó- | Ved. daśamá-, Av. dasəma-, Lat. decimus, |
Notes
- All suggested etymologies of një "one" are highly speculative, at best. This etymology is one of two given by E. Hamp in Indo-European Numerals (Jadranka Gvozdanović, ed., 1992), pp. 903-904; the other is simply from PIE *eni- (or H₂en-), a PIE deictic particle visible in Sanskrit anyá- "the other", OCS onŭ "that one", Lithuanian anàs "that one". Michiel de Vaan, in a review of Demiraj's Sistemi i numerimit, suggests PIE *H₂en-io-no- > pre-Proto-Albanian *ëńán > Proto-Albanian *ńâ > një. M. Huld (Basic Albanian Etymologies, p. 101) attempts to derive një from PIE *sm-iH₂, feminine of *sem "one" and reflected in Ancient Greek mía; this etymology is also tentatively suggested in Don Ringe et al. "IE and Computational Cladistics", p. 75 (Transactions of the Philological Society 100, 2002).
- For example, qñnã-tba "twelve" (litt. "ten" plus "two").
- See also: Umb peturpursus "quadruped".
- Cf. Thr ketri- "four".
- See also: Osc pomp- "five".
- See also Phry pinke "five".
- Built upon osmŭ "eighth" < *H₁ok̂t-mo-.
- With nasalization after *septḿ̥ "seven".
- There is the possibility that Lycian sñta could mean either "ten" or "(one) hundred".
References
- Sihler (1995:402–24)
- Beekes (1995:212–16)
- Brugmann (1892:48)
- Meillet:372)
- ^ Fortson (2004:131)
- Lehmann (1993:252–255)
- ^ Fournet, Arnaud (2010). "About the Mitanni Aryan gods". Journal of Indo-European Studies. 38 (1–2): 26-27.
- Shevoroshkin, Vitaly. "Anatolian laryngeals in Milyan". In: The Sound of Indo-European: Phonetics, Phonemics, and Morphophonemics. Edited by Benedicte Nielsen Whitehead. Museum Tusculanum Press. 2012. p. 481. ISBN 978-87-635-3838-1
- Kassian, Alexei. "Anatolian *meyu- ‘4, four’ and its cognates". In: Journal of Language Relationship 2 (2009). pp. 68 (footnote nr. 9), 69.
- Accent location unknown.
- Duridanov, Ivan (1985). Die Sprache der Thraker. Bulgarische Sammlung (in German). Vol. 5. Hieronymus Verlag. p. 60. ISBN 3-88893-031-6.
- ^ Blažek, Václav (2008). "Gaulish language". Sborník prací Filozofické fakulty brněnské univerzity. N, Řada klasická. 57 (13): 37–65. hdl:11222.digilib/114125.
- HOLMER, N. M. (1990), “The semantics of numerals”. In: Fontes linguae vasconum, 22: 16.
- Woudhuizen, Fred C. "Phrygian & Greek" (PDF). Talanta. XL–XLI (2008–2009): 187–217.
- ^ Melchert, H. Craig (1989). "New Luvo-Lycian Isoglosses". Historische Sprachforschung. 102 (1): 23–45. JSTOR 40848962.
- "This numeral ... is obviously derived from the word for "nine". (...) The etymological connection with PIE *newn ... is evident ...". Eichner, Heiner. "Anatolian". In: Gvozdanovic, Jadranka (ed.). Indo-European numerals. Trends in linguistics: Studies and monographs n. 57. Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 1991. p. 87. ISBN 3-11-011322-8
- Wodtko, d. S. "Remarks on Celtiberian Etymology". In: Villar, Francisco y Beltrán, Francisco (eds.). Pueblos, lengua y escrituras en la Hispania Prerromana. Actas del VII Coloquio sobre lenguas y culturas paleohispánicas (Zaragoza, 12 a 15 de Marzo de 1997). Ediciones Universidad Salamanca. 1999. p. 734. ISBN 84-7800-094-1
- Anthony, David W. (2007). The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. Princeton University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-4008-3110-4
- ^ Fortson (2004:131–132)
- ^ Fortson (2004:132)
- Gvozdanovic (1991)
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "one" and "first"". In: Sborník prací Filosofické fakulty Brněnské university, A 47. Brno: MU, 1999. p. 7-27. A 47. ISBN 80-210-2098-9.
- de Vaan, Michiel. "Proto-Indo-European *sm and *si 'one'". In: The Precursors of Proto-Indo-European. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill|Rodopi, 2019. pp. 203–218. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004409354_015
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "two"". In: Sborník prací Filosofické fakulty brněnské university. Brno: Masarykova universita, 1998. p. 5-25. A 46. ISBN 80-210-1796-1.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "three"". In: Lingua Posnaniensis, Polsko: neznámý, 1998, vol. 40, No 1, p. 33-45. ISSN 0079-4740.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "four"." In: Indogermanische Forschungen, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1998, vol. 103, No 1, p. 112-134. ISSN 0019-7262.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "five"". In: Indogermanische Forschungen, Berlin-NY: Walter de Gruyter, 2000, vol. 105, No 1, p. 102-120. ISSN 0019-7262.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "six"". In: Sborník prací Filosofické fakulty brněnské university. Brno: Masarykova universita, 2000. p. 5-18. A 48. ISBN 80-210-2350-3.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European 'Seven'". In: Journal of Indo-European Studies, Monograph Series 22 (1997): 9-29.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-european "eight"". In: Historische Sprachforschung. SRN: neznám, 1998, vol. 111, No 1, p. 209-224. ISSN 0935-3518.
- Craig Melchert stated: "Meriggi, 'Fs Hirt' 266, suggests 'eighty' and 'ninety' respectively for aitãta and nuñtata ... 'Eight' and 'nine' are not only more reasonable contextually ... The remaining *aita- and *nuñta- may be derived from *ok̂tō and *néwn̥ ... " Melchert, H. Craig. "New Luvo-Lycian Isoglosses". In: Historische Sprachforschung. 102 Band. 1 Heft. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. 1989. pp. 24-25. ISSN 0935-3518
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "nine"". In: Historische Sprachforschung. Göttingen: Vanderhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999. vol. 112, No 2, p. 188-390. ISSN 0935-3518.
- "This numeral ... is obviously derived from the word for "nine". (...) The etymological connection with PIE *newn ... is evident ...". Eichner, Heiner. "Anatolian". In: Gvozdanovic, Jadranka (ed.). Indo-European numerals. Trends in linguistics: Studies and monographs n. 57. Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 1991. p. 87. ISBN 3-11-011322-8
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "ten"". In: Bygone voices reconstructed. On language origins and their relationships: In honor of Aharon Dolgopolski. Ed. by Vitalij V. Shevoroshkin & Harald U. Sverdrup. Copenhagen: Underskoven Publishers ApS, 2009. pp. 113-123. ISBN 978-87-91947-33-9.
- Blažek, Václav. "Indo-European "hundred"". In: History of Language. Melbourne: Association for the History of Language, 1999, 5.2, No 2, p. 71-82. ISSN 1441-5542.
- Douglas Q. Adams, A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., 2013, ISBN 9401209367 s.v. yaltse
- Fortson (2004:120)
Bibliography
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (1995), Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An Introduction, J. Benjamins Pub., ISBN 1-55619-505-2
- Brugmann, Karl (1892), Grundriß der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen, vol. II/2
- Fortson, Benjamin W. IV (2004), Indo-European Language and Culture, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 1-4051-0316-7
- Gvozdanovic, Jadranka (1991), Indo-European Numerals, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 3-11-011322-8
- Lehmann, Winfried P. (1993), Theoretical Bases of Indo-European Linguistics, London: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-08201-3
- Meillet, Antoine, MSL XIV
- Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508345-8
Further reading
- Bammesberg, Alfred (1995). "Latin quattuor and Its Prehistory". In: Journal of Indo-European Studies (JIES) 23 (1-2): 213–222.
- Beekes, Robert S. P. (1987). "The Word for 'Four' in Proto-Indo-European". In: Journal of Indo-European Studies (JIES) 15 (1/2): 215–219.
- Bomhard, Allan. "Some thoughts on the Proto-Indo-European cardinal numbers". In: In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology. In honor of Harold Crane Fleming. Edited by John D. Bengtson. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2008. pp. 213-221. 10.1075/z.145.18bom.
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