Dictionary

proto-language en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpɹəʊtəʊˌlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *próder. Ancient Greek πρό (pró) Ancient Greek -ᾰτος (-ătos) Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos) Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-)lbor. English proto- Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s Proto-Italic *dn̥ɣwā Latin dingua Latin lingua Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Vulgar Latin *linguāticum Old French languagebor. Middle English langage English language English proto-language From proto- + language.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A language which is reconstructed by examining similarities in existing languages in order to deduce the form and aspects of a common ancestor language that is no longer known.
   • Just as Greek and Sanskrit reflect a proto-language, so do the Cypria and the Mahābhārata reflect a proto-story. 2025 December 12, Tom Hercules Davies, “Horses, Wheels, Languages: Greek, Mesopotamian and Indic Epic on the Eurasian Steppe”, in The Classical Quarterly, volume 75, number 1, page 5:
2. (countable, uncountable) The early utterances produced by an infant before it acquires a true language.

Forms

Relateds

reconstructed language

Synonyms

Ursprache · ur-language

Translations (57)

kk түптіл (common ancestor language) · hu alapnyelv (common ancestor language) · vi tiền ngôn ngữ (common ancestor language) · pt protolíngua (common ancestor language) · ast protollingua (common ancestor language) · ca protollengua (common ancestor language) · tr ön dil (common ancestor language) · hu ősnyelv (common ancestor language) · es protolengua (common ancestor language) · ka ფუძეენა (common ancestor language) · gl protolingua (common ancestor language) · kk ататіл (common ancestor language) · fr protolangue (common ancestor language) · nl vooroudertaal (common ancestor language) · da ursprog (common ancestor language) · pl prajęzyk (common ancestor language) · tr proto dil (common ancestor language) · bg праези́к (common ancestor language) · eo pralingvo (common ancestor language) · kk тектіл (common ancestor language) · id bahasa proto (common ancestor language) · tr ana dil (common ancestor language) · ka პროტო-ენა (common ancestor language) · ja 祖語 (common ancestor language) · ko 프로토어 (common ancestor language) · ru праязы́к (common ancestor language) · de Ursprache (common ancestor language) · el πρωτογλώσσα (common ancestor language) · mk прајазик (common ancestor language) · sv urspråk (common ancestor language) · yue 祖語 /祖语 (common ancestor language) · sl prajezik (common ancestor language) · et algkeel (common ancestor language) · sk prajazyk (common ancestor language) · cs prajazyk (common ancestor language) · no urspråk (common ancestor language) · fi kantakieli (common ancestor language) · is frummál (common ancestor language) · it protolingua (common ancestor language) · hu protonyelv (common ancestor language) · tyv өгбе дыл (common ancestor language) · cmn 原始語 /原始语 (common ancestor language) · ro protolimbă (common ancestor language) · lt prokalbė (common ancestor language) · az ulu dil (common ancestor language) · ka საერთო ენა (common ancestor language) · hy նախալեզու (common ancestor language) · az kök dil (common ancestor language) · uk прамо́ва (common ancestor language) · be прамо́ва (common ancestor language) · ks جَد زَبان (common ancestor language) · scn prutulingua (common ancestor language) · sk protojazyk (common ancestor language) · az protodil (common ancestor language) · cmn 祖語 /祖语 (common ancestor language) · ka წინარე ენა (common ancestor language) · hi आदिभाषा (common ancestor language)