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Appendix:Proto-West Germanic Swadesh list

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This is a Swadesh list of words in Proto-West Germanic, compared with definitions in English.

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For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.

American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.

No. English Proto-West Germanic
1 I *ik
2 you (singular) *þū
3 he *iʀ
4 we *wiʀ
5 you (plural) *jiʀ
6 they *hiʀ
7 this *hiu
8 that *þat
9 here *hēr
10 there *þār
11 who *hwaʀ
12 what *hwat
13 where *hwār
14 when *hwan
15 how *hwō
16 not *ne
17 all *all
18 many *manag
19 some *sum
20 few *fau
21 other *anþar
22 one *ain
23 two *twai-
24 three *þrīʀ
25 four *feuwar
26 five *fimf
27 big *mikil
28 long *lang
29 wide *braid
30 thick *þekuz
31 heavy *swār
32 small *smal
33 short *skurt
34 narrow *angī
35 thin *þunnī
36 woman *kwenā
37 man (adult male) *gumō, *wer
38 man (human being) *mann
39 child *barn, *kind
40 wife *wīb
41 husband *brūdigumō
42 mother *mōder
43 father *fader, *attō
44 animal *deuʀ
45 fish *fisk
46 bird *fugl
47 dog *hund
48 louse *lūs
49 snake *snakō, *wurmi
50 worm *wurmi
51 tree *treu
52 forest *walþu, *furhiþi, *holt, *hursti, *widu
53 stick *stikkō, *stokk
54 fruit *obaet, *applu, *fruht
55 seed *sādi, *sād, *sāmō
56 leaf *laub
57 root *wurti
58 bark (of a tree) *rindā
59 flower *blōmō
60 grass *gras
61 rope *raip
62 skin *fell
63 meat *flaiski
64 blood *blōd
65 bone *bain
66 fat (noun) *smalt
67 egg *ajj
68 horn *horn
69 tail *stertaz
70 feather *feþrō
71 hair *tagl, *hār
72 head *haubud
73 ear *auʀā
74 eye *augā
75 nose *nasu
76 mouth *munþ
77 tooth *tanþ
78 tongue (organ) *tungā
79 fingernail *nagl
80 foot *fōt
81 leg *bain
82 knee *kneu
83 hand *handu
84 wing *flugilō
85 belly *būk, *magō, *wambō
86 guts *þarm
87 neck *hals
88 back *bak, *bakō
89 breast *breust, *brust
90 heart *hertā
91 liver *libru
92 to drink *drinkan
93 to eat *etan
94 to bite *bītan
95 to suck *sūgan
96 to spit *spīwan
97 to vomit *spīwan
98 to blow *wāan, *blāan, *blāsan
99 to breathe *anþijan, *hīgōn
100 to laugh *hlahhjan
101 to see *sehwan
102 to hear *hauʀijan
103 to know *knāan, *witan
104 to think *þankijan, *munan
105 to smell *stinkwan
106 to fear *furhtijan
107 to sleep *slāpan, *swefan
108 to live *libbjan
109 to die *dauwjan
110 to kill *daudijan
111 to fight *fehtan
112 to hunt *jagōn
113 to hit *slahan
114 to cut *maitan, *snīþan
115 to split *splītan
116 to stab *stekan
117 to scratch *hrīban
118 to dig *graban
119 to swim *swimman
120 to fly *fleugan
121 to walk *gangan
122 to come *kweman
123 to lie (as in a bed) *liggjan
124 to sit *sittjan
125 to stand *standan, *stān
126 to turn (intransitive) *hwerban, *waibijan
127 to fall *fallan
128 to give *geban
129 to hold *haldan
130 to squeeze *hnīpan
131 to rub *nūwan, *neuwan
132 to wash *waskan, *þwahan
133 to wipe *wīpōn
134 to pull *togōn
135 to push *þrukkijan, *skeuban
136 to throw *werpan
137 to tie *bindan
138 to sew *siuwjan
139 to count *talljan
140 to say *kweþan, *saggjan
141 to sing *singwan
142 to play *laikan
143 to float *flotōn, *fleutan
144 to flow *flōan
145 to freeze *freusan
146 to swell *swellan
147 sun *sunnā
148 moon *mānō
149 star *sternō, *sterrō
150 water *watōr
151 rain *regn
152 river *ahu, *fleutō
153 lake *laku
154 sea *mari, *saiwi
155 salt *salt
156 stone *stain
157 sand *samd, *sand
158 dust *stubbju
159 earth *erþu
160 cloud *wolkn
161 fog *mist
162 sky *hebun, *luftu, *himil
163 wind *wind
164 snow *snaiw
165 ice *īs
166 smoke *rauki
167 fire *fuir, *ail, *ailid
168 ash *askā, *uslijā
169 to burn *brinnan
170 road *weg
171 mountain *berg
172 red *raud
173 green *grōnī
174 yellow *gelu
175 white *hwīt
176 black *swart, *blak
177 night *naht
178 day *dag
179 year *jār
180 warm *warm
181 cold *kald
182 full *full
183 new *niwi
184 old *ald
185 good *gōd
186 bad *ubil
187 rotten *rotēn
188 dirty *fūl
189 straight *strak
190 round *trind
191 sharp (as a knife) *hwass
192 dull (as a knife) *slaiw
193 smooth *slipr
194 wet *nat
195 dry *þurʀī
196 correct *reht
197 near *nāhw
198 far *ferrē
199 right *tehswō
200 left *winistr
201 at *at
202 in *in
203 with *midi
204 and *and
205 if *jabē, *jabu
206 because *hwandē
207 name *namō
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Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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