The
Indo-European names for "world"
The world is the place illuminated by the sun: it is
what we see. The following names for "world" arise from a root
meaning "bright, shining, beautiful, the sun".
Ārkisosi
(Tokharian). Base ark- shining:
|
Hindi |
ark |
sun |
|
Hindi |
arki |
flamme |
|
Tokharian A |
ārki |
white |
|
Georgian |
arki |
birch |
|
Berber |
urki |
birch |
Armenian
|
arcat` |
silver |
|
Tokharian |
ārkisosi |
world |
Dinya (Kurdish: Sorani). Base d-n:
|
Sanskrit |
dinam |
day |
|
Lettish |
diena |
day |
|
Latin |
Diana |
goddess of the moon and of hunting |
|
Romanian |
Zana |
Diana; dzâna witch |
Kurdish: Sorani
|
dinya |
world |
|
Russian |
den |
day, Polish dzien'
|
|
Serbocroatian |
dān |
day, daylight |
Domhan (Gaelic
|
Breton |
deviń |
to burn |
|
Sanskrit |
dhavalā |
white, to shine |
|
Sanskrit |
Dyava |
personification of the
sky |
|
Czech |
dive |
marvel, miracle |
|
Polish |
dziw |
marvel |
|
Welsh |
Duw |
god |
|
Gaelic Ireland |
domhan |
world |
Elfydd (Welsh). See Allah.
Kósmos (Greek). Base k-s
to shine (see also Kassiopč):
|
Aramaic |
kaysa |
to shine |
|
Aramaic |
kasu |
glitter |
|
Khinalug |
xa |
moon |
|
Greek |
Kassandra |
the most beautiful daughter of Priam |
|
French (dialectal) |
cassančl |
pretty |
|
French (dialectal) |
acassŕ |
pretty |
|
Kurdish |
kasīl |
beautiful |
|
Persian: Sivand |
xās |
beautiful |
|
Kurdish: Sorani |
xo |
beautiful, good |
|
Greek |
kósmos |
ornament, world |
Locus (Roman), borrowing, see Lokas.
Lokas (Sanskrit). Rot l-k:
|
Greek |
leukos |
shining, clear |
|
Latin
(borrowed from Greek) |
lux |
light |
|
Sanskrit |
lokas |
world; Thai (from Skr.) lok |
|
Latin(borrowing) |
locus |
world |
|
Italian |
lucore, lucciare |
splendor |
Lume (Romanian). Base l-m:
|
Arabic |
lāmi |
gleaming |
|
Romanian |
lume |
light, world |
French
|
lumičre |
light |
|
Gaelic Ireland |
laom |
lightning |
|
Gaelic Ireland |
laomtha |
shining, splendid |
|
English |
leam |
glitter |
Mir (Bulgarian, Russian).
Base m-r:
|
Hebrew |
mer |
to shine |
|
Bulgarian |
mir |
monde |
Guez
|
amir |
day |
|
Old Persian |
amiran |
genius of light |
|
Persian |
mihr |
sun |
|
Dravidian |
miru |
glittering |
|
Canarese |
mirugu |
to shine |
|
Greek |
amarygēs |
shining |
|
Basque |
margo |
shining |
|
German |
morgen |
morning |
|
Lithuanian |
mirgu |
to shine |
Monde (French), mondo
(Italien), mundo (Spanish, Portuguese). Base m-nd, m-nt shining,
pure, beautiful:
|
German |
mond |
moon |
|
French |
monde |
world |
|
Italian |
mondo |
Italian mondo world, pure |
|
Spanish |
mundo |
world |
|
Portuguese |
mundo |
Portuguese mundo world, pure |
|
Etruscan |
Munthu |
goddess of ornament |
|
Romanian |
măndru |
superb |
|
Romanian |
pămănt |
world (formed with the Slavic |
|
particle pa, and not from Latin pavimentum,
the world is not made of paving stones) |
||
Mondo (Italian), see monde.
Mundo (Portuguese, Spanish), see
monde.
Munthu (Etruscan). Goddess of ornament. See monde.
Pămănt
(Romanian), see monde.
Pasaulis (Lithuanian), see next
word.
Saoghal, Saol (Gaelic
|
Georgian |
zeli |
clear |
|
Sumerian |
zalam |
sun |
|
Kurdish:
Sorani |
siley |
morning |
|
Ethiopia:
Harrar |
silbi |
rufous,
velvety |
|
Berber |
cellan |
spark |
|
Guanche |
zeloy |
sun |
|
Berber:
Kabyle |
azal |
heat
of the sun |
|
Berber:
Shihla |
azal |
daylight |
|
Berber |
ahel |
day |
|
Berber |
zill |
to
light; beautiful |
|
Basque |
ziller |
silver |
|
Lettish |
ilbinos |
shining,
dazzling |
|
German |
silber |
English
silver |
|
Guanche |
zelo |
sky |
|
Guanche |
cel |
to
light |
|
Etruscan |
Cel,
Cilens |
god
of hell |
|
Modern
Greek |
sélas |
dawn,
brightness, light |
|
Modern
Greek |
selagin |
spark |
|
Ancient
Greek |
sigalónei |
(metathesis)
glossy |
|
Ancient
Greek |
selekiou |
a
phosphorescent fish |
|
Ancient
Greek |
selēnē |
moon |
|
Modern
Greek |
selini
iris |
rainbow |
|
Albanian |
çelë |
pale |
|
Romanian |
ţel |
white |
|
Lettish |
salma |
hoarfrost |
|
Lettish |
salt |
to
freeze |
|
Swedish |
sol |
sun |
|
Gaelic
Ireland |
solas |
light
etc. |
|
Gaelic
Ireland |
saol |
world,
life, time |
|
Gaelic
Ireland |
saoghal |
world |
|
Old
English |
sael |
time,
season, fortune, happiness |
|
Old
Norse |
saell |
happy
|
|
Old
English |
solace |
Franch
consolation |
|
Italian |
sole |
sun,
beauty, virtue |
|
Italian:
V.Verzasca |
söli |
beautiful |
|
Spanish |
sol |
English
sun |
|
French |
soleil |
sun |
|
Basque |
xolea |
blaze |
|
Italian:
V.Verzasca |
zeller |
sun |
|
Etruscan |
sela,
usil |
sun |
|
Russian |
sálice |
sun |
|
Lithuanian |
saulé |
sun |
|
Lithuanian |
pasaulis |
world |
|
Czech |
sáláti |
to
beam |
|
Italian |
saliŕre |
somptueux
|
|
French:
Poitou |
salbrenaux |
élégant,
FEW 22: 50, cf. Italian sole, ci-dessus |
|
French:
Bas-Limousin |
silletŕ |
propre,
élégant, FEW 22: 50 |
|
French:
Picardy |
soele |
superb,
magnificent |
|
French: Bas Maine |
wël |
superb,
magnificent |
|
English |
swell |
elegant, chic; Amer. excellent (cf. preceding) |
|
French:
Amiens |
swélé |
échauffé,
FEW 23: 176 |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
swelan |
to
burn |
|
Lithuanian |
svilti |
to
blaze |
Sipihr (Persian). Base sp-, s-p :
|
Pashto |
spin |
white |
|
Armenian |
spidak, anpis |
white |
|
Kurdish |
speda |
dawn |
|
Persian |
sapid, safid |
white |
|
Persian |
sipe |
white |
|
Persian |
sipihr |
world, sun, sky |
|
Baluchi |
yspet |
white |
|
Zend |
spiti-gaona |
white colour |
|
Kurdish: Sorani |
sipī |
white, sipik egg
white |
|
Persian:
Sangesari |
ēspi |
white |
Světlina (Bulgarian), see svet
Světu (Old
Slavic), see svet
Svet (Russian). Base sv-t:
|
Sanskrit |
çvita |
to shine |
|
Sanskrit |
çveta |
blanc |
|
Serbocroatian |
cvēt |
flower, cream |
|
Serbocroatian |
sevati |
it is lightning |
|
Old Slavic |
světu |
light, world |
|
Bulgarian |
světlina |
world |
|
Russian |
svet |
light, world |
|
Russian |
rassvot |
dawn |
|
Russian |
svetilo |
star |
Verden (Danish), see world
Welt (German), see world
World
(English). Base (s)v-r:
|
Sanskrit |
svárati |
to shine |
|
Sanskrit |
svargah |
sky |
|
Zend |
hvare |
sun |
|
Albanian |
verzullim |
shining, sparkling |
|
Etruscan |
verse |
fire |
|
Danish |
verden |
world |
|
Swedish |
verld |
world |
|
English |
world |
The etymology wer "man" + old
is devoid of meaning, even if interpreted as "age of man" |
|
German |
welt |
world |
Zemlja (Russian). Base h-m,
z-m:
|
Albanian |
himazi |
clearly, brightly |
German
|
himmel |
sky |
|
Hindi |
himal |
snow |
|
Sanskrit |
hima |
snow, winter |
|
Lettish |
ziemeli |
winter, the North |
|
Russian |
zemlja |
earth |
|
Greek |
Zemélē |
a goddess of the earth |
The following names are from a root meaning
"life, what is living":
Bed (Breton), see byd.
Bith (Gaelic Ireland), see byd.
Byd
(Welsh) The Breton and insular Celtic word for "world" contains the notion of "life, existence, that which
exists":
|
Anc.Greek |
bíos |
life |
|
English |
be |
to exist |
|
Persian |
buda |
existence |
|
Breton |
boud |
existence |
|
Welsh |
bod |
life |
|
Breton |
bed |
world, univers |
|
Welsh |
byd |
world |
|
Gaelic Ireland |
bith |
world |
|
Gaelic Ireland |
beatha |
life |
|
Russian |
byte |
existence |
Semitic:
`Ālam (Persian). Base l:
|
Akkadian |
Ilu |
God |
|
Akkadian |
ellu |
shining |
|
Assyrian |
élālu,
hālu |
to
shine |
|
Hebrew |
hālal |
to shine; helel morning star |
|
Arabic |
halla |
id. |
|
Persian |
`ālam |
the world |
|
Arabic |
allāq |
to
light up |
|
Albanian |
llap |
(< Semit. via Turkish and with change k > p)
to shine |
|
Arabic |
halla |
to
shine |
|
Arabic |
Allah |
God
|
|
Arabic |
a'ali |
powerful
(change of category) |
|
Basque |
al |
power |