Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leb-

This Proto-Indo-European entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-European

Reconstruction

The reconstruction is uncertain, and contains the rare PIE phoneme *b. A secondary form *lh₂P- also exists, with a variety of labials standing in for P. Moreover, the Iranian initial l- is irregular. The root therefore probably originates from a substrate language or is onomatopoeic.[1]

Root

*leb-

? to hang down loosely
lip
to lick

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leb-

*léb-ti ~ *l̥b-énti (athematic root present)
- Proto-Anatolian: *lébti
  - Hittite: 𒇷𒅁𒍣‎ (le-ep-zi)
*leb-oyé-ti?
- Proto-Anatolian:
  - Hittite: 𒇷𒉺𒀀𒄑𒍣 (le-pa-a-iz-zi)
Unsorted formations:
- Proto-Germanic: *lepô, *lipjô (“lip”)
- Proto-Germanic:
  - Old Norse: lafa
    - Icelandic: lafa
- Hellenic:
  - Ancient Greek (possibly) λοβός (lobós)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *lap-
  - Proto-Iranian: *lap-
    - Middle Persian: [script needed] (lab)
      - Persian: لب‎ (lab, “lip”)
    - Lurish:
      Northern Luri: ڵۋ‎ (łü)
      Bakhtiari: لۋ‎ (lü)
      Southern Luri: لۋ‎ (lü)
    - Kurdish:
      Northern Kurdish: lêv (“lip”), liv (“movement, act of moving”)
      Central Kurdish: لێو‎ (lêw, “lip”)
      Southern Kurdish: لێو‎ (lêw, “lip”)
    - Zazaki: lew (“lip”)
- Italic:
  - Latin: labium (“lip”), labrum

From the root *lh₂P-:

*lh₂b- (root present)
- Proto-Germanic: *lapaną (“to lick”)
  - Old High German: laffan
*lh₂-né-b(ʰ)- ~ *lh₂-m-b(ʰ)- (nasal-infix present)
- Italic:
  - Latin: lambō (“to lick”)
*lh₂b-el-os
- Proto-Germanic: *lapilaz (“spoon”)
  - Dutch: lepel
  - Old High German: leffil
Unsorted formations:
- Albanian: lap (“to lick up water”)
- Armenian:
  - Old Armenian: լափեմ (lapʿem, “to lap up, lick up; to eat up greedily, devour”)
- Balto-Slavic:
  - Lithuanian: lapènti (“to eat greedily”)
  - Slavic:
    - East Slavic:
      - Russian: ло́пать (lópatʹ, “to gobble up”)
      - (possibly) Russian: лобзать (lobzatʹ, “to kiss”)
    - South Slavic:
      - Bulgarian: лапам (lapam, “to eat greedily”)
- Hellenic:
  - Ancient Greek: λάπτω (láptō, “to lick”)
  - Ancient Greek: λαφύσσω (laphússō, “to devour”)

References

De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

[1] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN