Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂éyos

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.

• *áyos^[1]

If a native formation, possibly from a root *h₂ey- (“to burn; fire”) found also in *h₂ey-dʰh₁- (“to set fire”, literally “*put to fire”)^[2] and perhaps *h₂ey-er- (“day, morning”).

*h₂éyos n^[3][2][4]

1. a metal, copper, bronze

This is the only word in Proto-Indo-European that unequivocally refers to a metal. There is no word for iron and the words for gold and silver seem to mean “that which shines”, or “the golden” and “the silvery”, respectively. In the early Indo-European languages, this word refers to copper (and bronze), and the Proto-Indo-European word refers with absolute certainty to one of these metals, or both. This shows that the Indo-European language was spoken during a time when copper was used.

• *h₂éyesnos
  • Proto-Italic: *aeznos (see there for further descendants)

• Proto-Germanic: *aiz (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Indo-Iranian: *Háyas (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Italic: *aos
  • Latin: aes