Proto-Indo-European Roots

Proto-Indo-European Roots

*Root/Stem:*	wl.-kw-, wl.-p-

*Meaning:*	wolf

*Cognates:*
Hellenic	Greek *lukos* 'wolf'
Italic	Latin *lupus* 'wolf', *vulpés, volpés* 'fox'
Indic	Sanskrit *vr.ka-* 'wolf'
Iranian	Avestan *v@hrkó* 'wolf'
Anatolian	Hittite *ulippana-* 'wolf'
Balkan	Albanian *ul'k* 'wolf'
Germanic	Common Germanic wulfaz 'wolf'*, wulgí* 'she-wolf' > Gothic wulfs 'wolf', Old Norse ulfr 'wolf', ylgr 'she-wolf', Old English & Old Saxon wulf, Old High German wolf, Middle High German wülpe** 'she-wolf'
Baltic	Lithuanian *vilkas* 'wolf', *vilpišis* 'wild cat', Latvian *vilks* 'wolf', Sudovian *vilkas, Old Prussian wilkis*
Slavic	Common Slavic vïlkü 'wolf' > Russian volk, Ukrainian vovk, Bulgarian v@lk, Serbo-Croatian vuk, Slovene vlk, Polish wilk, Sorbian wjelk* 'wolf'

Notes:	Though with different stem elements, the root is still considered to be the same for all IE languages. Its two varieties, with -kw- and with -p-, originally had different tints of meaning; it seems that the latter meant 'she-wolf' in Proto-Indo-European. As every other common Indo-European term denoting wild animals, this one confirms that the Indo-European homeland was situated in a region where wolfs could be found.