The Indo-European horse: A linguistic reconstruction

Abstract

Archaeologically reconstructed, the IE horse was a relatively small animal, used for food or as sacrificial victim and domesticated around 4000 B.C. in the Sredni Stog culture in southern Ukraine. Initially kept for horseback riding, the horse was used much later, around 2300 B.C., for the traction of light-vehicles. Linguistic investigation adds new details to this description. Although the etymology of the IE root for horse is unknown, one can assume that it denoted a ‘work-horse,’ not only because most of the words for ‘horse’ derive from terms designating ‘pack- or draft-horses’ (Lat. caballus, NHG Pferd, Lith. ỹ, but also because two of its cognates mean ‘ass’ (Arm. ēš) and ‘mule’ (Gaul. Epona), which could take place only when their common source has the meaning ‘work-horse’ or ‘work-animal’, as in the case of Lat. sagmarius, Gk. hypozýgia, etc. IE most probably also denoted a gelding.

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