Standard Lemma guide

proto-language

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The early utterances produced by an infant before it acquires a true language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: նախալեզու (naxalezu) — common ancestor language
  • Asturian: protollingua — common ancestor language
  • Azerbaijani: ulu dil — common ancestor language
  • Azerbaijani: protodil — common ancestor language
  • Azerbaijani: kök dil — common ancestor language
  • Belarusian: прамо́ва (pramóva) — common ancestor language
  • Bulgarian: праези́к (praezík) — common ancestor language
  • Catalan: protollengua — common ancestor language
  • Chinese Cantonese: 祖語 /祖语 (zou2 jyu5) — common ancestor language
  • Chinese Mandarin: 祖語 /祖语 (zǔyǔ) — common ancestor language
  • Chinese Mandarin: 原始語 /原始语 (yuánshǐyǔ) — common ancestor language
  • Czech: prajazyk — common ancestor language
  • Danish: ursprog — common ancestor language
  • Dutch: vooroudertaal — common ancestor language
  • Esperanto: pralingvo — common ancestor language
  • Estonian: algkeel — common ancestor language
  • Finnish: kantakieli — common ancestor language
  • French: protolangue — common ancestor language
  • Galician: protolingua — common ancestor language
  • Georgian: ფუძეენა (puʒeena) — common ancestor language
  • Georgian: წინარე ენა (c̣inare ena) — common ancestor language
  • Georgian: პროტო-ენა (ṗroṭo-ena) — common ancestor language
  • Georgian: საერთო ენა (saerto ena) — common ancestor language
  • German: Ursprache — common ancestor language
  • Greek: πρωτογλώσσα (protoglóssa) — common ancestor language
  • Hindi: आदिभाषा (ādibhāṣā) — common ancestor language
  • Hungarian: alapnyelv — common ancestor language
  • Hungarian: ősnyelv — common ancestor language
  • Hungarian: protonyelv — common ancestor language
  • Icelandic: frummál — common ancestor language
  • Indonesian: bahasa proto — common ancestor language
  • Italian: protolingua — common ancestor language
  • Japanese: 祖語 (sogo) — common ancestor language
  • Kashmiri: جَد زَبان (jad zabān) — common ancestor language
  • Kazakh: ататіл (atatıl) — common ancestor language
  • Kazakh: тектіл (tektıl) — common ancestor language
  • Kazakh: түптіл (tüptıl) — common ancestor language
  • Korean: 프로토어 (peuroto'eo) — common ancestor language
  • Lithuanian: prokalbė — common ancestor language
  • Macedonian: прајазик (prajazik) — common ancestor language
  • Norwegian: urspråk — common ancestor language
  • Polish: prajęzyk — common ancestor language
  • Portuguese: protolíngua — common ancestor language
  • Romanian: protolimbă — common ancestor language
  • Russian: праязы́к (prajazýk) — common ancestor language
  • Sicilian: prutulingua — common ancestor language
  • Slovak: prajazyk — common ancestor language
  • Slovak: protojazyk — common ancestor language
  • Slovene: prajezik — common ancestor language
  • Spanish: protolengua — common ancestor language
  • Swedish: urspråk — common ancestor language
  • Turkish: proto dil — common ancestor language
  • Turkish: ön dil — common ancestor language
  • Turkish: ana dil — common ancestor language
  • Tuvan: өгбе дыл (ögbe dıl) — common ancestor language
  • Ukrainian: прамо́ва (pramóva) — common ancestor language
  • Vietnamese: tiền ngôn ngữ — common ancestor language