Marius ComperENRO
open circle or dashed: Wiktionary hedges this etymology

Etymology · 2,277 words · 219 living languages

Skirt, ski, schizophrenia: words that came from a cut

A friend, Lucian Roșu, sent nineteen look-alike words and asked how many words today come from one old root. Counted on Wiktionary’s own family trees, about 2,277 words in 219 languages descend from, or were borrowed out of, roots that begin with sk- and mean to cut, split or scrape. Seven of his words trace to these roots, seven are impostors, five are open.

His nineteen wordsFind your language

The list

Nineteen words, one verdict each#

Lucian’s list runs from distinge to a scărpina. Each row says where Wiktionary traces the word, with the line that decides it. Tap a row to find the word on the wheel.

Cousin: traced to a root that means cut. Disputed: Wiktionary or the scholars it cites disagree. Unknown: no origin is established. Impostor: it looks alike and comes from somewhere else.

Not one root

Four families of roots that start with sk- and mean cut#

The root he had in mind, written *skey- “to split”, is one of at least 38 Proto-Indo-European root forms (many of them spellings of one another) that begin with sk- and are glossed as cutting, splitting, scraping or dividing; 23 have living descendants in Wiktionary. Joined by Wiktionary’s “extension of” notes and Pokorny’s cross-references where those exist, and by shared spelling and sense where they do not, they make four families. Each is a sector of the wheel, and the coloured buttons under it are filters.

  • split · *skey- — 501 words in 118 languages
    ski, shed, shit, sheath, skid, skin
  • shear · *(s)ker- — 1,088 words in 168 languages
    skirt, short, shear, score, scribe, Romanian scurt
  • halve · *(s)kelH- — 393 words in 115 languages
    shield, shell, skill, half, sculpt
  • scrape · *skabʰ-, *(s)kep- — 295 words in 70 languages
    shave, shape, scabies, scab

*(s)ker- has a second sense, “to turn, bend”, which gave circle and circus. Only the words that Wiktionary’s trees, or the glosses on their ancestors, place under “to cut off” are counted here: 1,155 entries in all languages, living and ancient, against 1,466 placed under “turn”. Another 4,722 could not be placed and are left out.

The count

About 2,277 words in 219 languages#

These are words that Wiktionary’s etymology sections, followed link by link, trace to one of these roots by descent or by borrowing. Words formed in their own language from such a word, by adding endings or prefixes or by joining words (skirting, skier, miniskirt, neuroscience), are not in that number; there are another 3,384. Of the 2,277, 1,570 carry no hedge in Wiktionary’s text; 707 sit on an etymology that Wiktionary itself qualifies (“possibly”, “uncertain”, “proposed”) or below one. They are drawn as open circles and dashed chips; without them the count is 1,570.

Germanic languages hold 625, Slavic 465, Romance 485. 435 (19 per cent) sit outside Indo-European or in creoles, as loans: Finnish, Japanese, Tagalog, Swahili. English has 229, Polish 83, Spanish 73, Romanian 76.

Two cautions. Wiktionary covers some languages far better than others, so this maps Wiktionary as much as the roots. And the method misses about two in five of the English words that editors tagged by hand under these roots (171 of 281 reached, 78 of them as direct descendants or loans and the rest as derived words) while adding 121 they did not tag. The method also gets some wrong: of 111 sampled words, 5 were refuted and 17 could not be settled, mostly among the hedged ones. Read the total as an estimate. For scale: 2,277 is 1 per cent of the 229,756 word–root links in living languages that Wiktionary’s trees give for any Proto-Indo-European root.

Your language

Your language, and any word#

Pick a language to see its words on the wheel. Or type a word, in any of the languages here, to see whether it is a cousin or an impostor.

Is it the sound? Do roots that begin with sk- mean cut more often?

Lucian’s guess has two parts. The first part, that the words are related, holds for seven of the nineteen, in four families of roots; seven are impostors and five are open. The second, that the sk- itself has something to do with cutting, can be tested on dictionaries of roots, and the answer depends on how the question is counted.

The figure is Pokorny’s dictionary of Proto-Indo-European roots (1959) in book order, 2,222 entries on 1,183 pages. Gold marks a root glossed with a word for cutting, splitting or scraping. The 55 roots that begin with sk- sit together near the end; 7 of them are gold. They are long entries: adding up the pages each entry spans, roots about cutting take about 31 per cent of the sk- block and 3.5 per cent of the rest of the dictionary.

1399 400799 8001183 sk- (pp. 916–958)
Pokorny’s Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, entry by entry, as listed with English glosses by the University of Texas Indo-European Lexicon. Width is the number of pages an entry takes. Outlined: the sk- block, pages 916–958.
The 55 sk- roots of Pokorny’s dictionary

Gold: glossed with a word for cutting, splitting or scraping in the Indo-European Lexicon’s list. The glosses themselves are in that list.

skabh-, skambh-p. 916
(s)kāi-p. 916-17
(s)k(h)ai-, (s)k(h)ai-d-, (s)k(h)ai-t-p. 917
sk̑āi-, sk̑əi- : sk̑ī-p. 917-18
(s)kamb-, and (s)kemb-p. 918
(s)kand-, (s)kend-p. 918
(s)k(h)ed-, (s)k(h)e-n-d-p. 918-19
sk̑ed-p. 919
skē̆i-p. 919-22
skē̆i-bh-, nasalized ski-m-bh-p. 922
(s)kek-, skeg-p. 922-23
1 (s)kel-p. 923-27
2 (s)kel-p. 927
3 (s)kel-p. 927
4 (s)kel-, extended klā-, klō-p. 928
5 (s)ku̯el-, (s)kel-p. 928
(s)k̑el-p. 929
skhel-p. 929
(s)k̑em-p. 929
(s)ken-(d-)p. 929-30
skendh-p. 930
(s)keng-p. 930
1 (s)kep-p. 930
2 (s)kē̆p-, (s)kō̆p-, and (s)kā̆p-, (s)kē̆b(h)-, skob(h)-, and skā̆b(h)-p. 930-33
1 (s)ker-p. 933
2 (s)ker-, skerə- : skrē-p. 933-35
3 (s)ker-p. 935-38
4 (s)ker-, (s)kerə-, (s)krē-p. 938-47
5 (s)ker-p. 947
(s)ku̯er-p. 947
sk̑er-(d-)p. 947-48
(s)kerb(h)-, (s)kreb(h)-, nasalized (s)kremb-p. 948-49
(s)ker-dh-, (s)kor-dh-p. 949
(s)kert-s-p. 949-50
skēt- : skət-p. 950
skēth-, skəth-p. 950
1 (s)keu-p. 950-51
2 (s)keu-, (s)keu̯ə : (s)kū-p. 951-53
3 skē̆u-, ksē̆u-p. 953
4 (s)keu-p. 954
5 skē̆u-p. 954
6 skēu(-t)-p. 954
sk̑ē̆u-p. 954-55
skeub-, skeubh-, skeug-p. 955
1 skeud-p. 955
2 (s)keud-p. 955-56
(s)keup-, skeub(h)-p. 956
(s)keut-, (s)keudh-p. 956-57
sk̑lēk-, sk̑lək-p. 957
skordho-p. 957
skot-p. 957
(s)kū̆t-p. 957-58
(s)ku̯alo-sp. 958
sku̯erb(h)-p. 958
sk(h)u̯oi̯-, sk(h)u̯i(i̯)-p. 958

Six ways of counting, one direction

Pokorny 1959roots, word list
7/55
62/2,167
4.4× p = 0.001
Pokorny 1959roots, labelled without the root’s form
7/55
88/2,167
3.1× p = 0.008
Wiktionary3,101 root forms, spellings counted apart
38/155
119/2,946
6.1× p < 0.001
Families, Pokornyfolded by his cross-references
3/41
41/1,496
2.7× p = 0.11
Families, Wiktionaryfolded by “extension of” notes
4/20
52/702
2.7× p = 0.06
Clusters, by spelling3,101 roots
14/44
84/1,378
5.2× p < 0.001; random member 6.1× (3.6–9.2)

Bars: share of each group glossed as cutting, splitting or scraping; the numbers are counts. “Times as likely” compares the two rates.

Counted root form by root form, an sk- root is about three to eight times as likely to mean cut as another root, whichever list or labeller is used. Counted by family, after folding together roots that the sources themselves mark as extensions of one another (Pokorny’s cross-references, Wiktionary’s “extension of” notes), the excess is about 2.7 times in both, and neither reaches the conventional 0.05 threshold (p = 0.11 and 0.06). Folding by spelling alone, in the largest list, gives about 5.2 times; those spelling-based clusters sometimes join roots with different meanings. The family figures are the ones to hold on to: the root-form counts treat related spellings as independent observations.

The list of 3,101 roots with a gloss is Wiktionary’s root pages plus glosses quoted in word etymologies. The sk- onset ranks first of 49 two-letter onsets tested; that ranking is exploratory, a result of looking at every onset, and not a confirmation of the hypothesis that started the question. Wiktionary’s roots lean on Pokorny and on later dictionaries of the verbs, so the lists are two readings of the same scholarship, not independent evidence.

Outside Indo-European

NorthEuraLex gives eight concepts of cutting (cut, cut off, scrape, slice, chop, divide, separate, tear off) in 107 languages of 21 families. Among Indo-European languages 7.3 per cent of the words for these concepts begin with s + a velar, against 1 per cent of all words. In the other families 3 of 628 do (0.7 would be expected by chance), and two of those three look like loans from Indo-European neighbours (Livonian from Latvian, Southern Sami from Scandinavian). That sample cannot say whether the sound itself carries the meaning.

What this does not show

  • That the sound sk- means cut. Another explanation fits the same numbers: a few very old cutting roots that grew by suffixes (*skey- → *skeyd-, *(s)ker- → *(s)kert-), so one invention is counted many times; and the roots are reconstructed, not attested. A larger sample from languages unrelated to Indo-European would help test whether the association reaches beyond it.
  • That every word listed is a true descendant. The ancestry is Wiktionary’s, as of 3 October 2026, followed link by link. Where Wiktionary gives a disputed etymology (scut, a ști) the word is counted under the family it names.
  • That roots written with an optional s were always pronounced with sk-. In *(s)ker- the s is optional and descendants such as Latin curtus lack it. For the sound question the roots with an obligatory s are the cleaner test: 18 of 52 in the largest list are glossed as cutting (about 8.6 times as likely as other roots), but only 2 of 21 in Pokorny (3.3 times, p = 0.12).
  • That every listed word is equally certain. 707 of the 2,277 rest on an etymology that Wiktionary hedges, and it records scholars who separate some (s)ker- words (Latin corium, cortex) into another, formally identical root.
  • That the count is complete. About two in five of the English words that editors tagged by hand under these roots were not found by the method; others it found had not been tagged. Entries under *(s)ker- that could not be placed under cut or turn are left out.
  • That every word ending in -ski belongs here. The suffix of Kowalski is left out on purpose: Wiktionary traces it through Proto-Slavic *-ьskъ to the Proto-Indo-European suffix *-iskos, the source of English -ish and -esque, which makes adjectives meaning “of, like”. It gives that suffix no link to the roots for cutting. The sport ski is another matter, and is in the count.
  • Anything about words Wiktionary has no entry for.

The words, by language

The glosses are Wiktionary’s, in English.

English (229)
  • abscind To cut off.
  • abscissa The first of the two terms by which a point is referred to, in a syste
  • abscission The act or process of cutting off.
  • apocopate Shortened by apocope; lacking a final sound or syllable
  • apocope The loss or omission of the last vowel in a word, together with any co
  • apocopic Of or pertaining to apocope; lacking a final sound or syllable.
  • ascribe To regard as arising from a specified cause or source.
  • bashert preordained, fated
  • bathyscaphe A self-propelled deep-sea diving submersible for exploring the ocean d
  • boat Vessel for travelling by water.
  • card Material with embedded short wire bristles.
  • carnation A type of Eurasian plant widely cultivated for its flowers.
  • carnita A Tex-Mex dish featuring large amounts of slow-cooked pork held in a t
  • carnitas A Mexican dish of strips or chunks of pork (or sometimes other meat) w
  • char Any of the several species of fishes of the genus Salvelinus.
  • chine The top of a ridge.
  • circumscribe To draw a line around; to encircle.
  • circumscription The act of circumscribing or the quality of being circumscribed.
  • comma The punctuation mark ⟨,⟩ used to indicate a set of parts of a sentence
  • conscience The ethical or moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects a
  • conscientization A social concept, grounded in Marxist critical theory, that focuses on
  • conscious Alert, awake; with one's mental faculties active.
  • conscription Involuntary labor, especially military service, demanded by some estab
  • corb A basket, for example one used in coal mines, etc.
  • corbita A two-masted merchant ship of Ancient Rome.
  • corbulid Any bivalve in the family Corbulidae.
  • coriaceous Resembling leather; leathery.
  • corium The layer of skin between the epidermis and the subcutaneous tissues.
  • cork The dead protective tissue between the bark and cambium in woody plant
  • corm A short, vertical, swollen, underground stem of a plant (usually one o
  • cormoid Of or relating to corm or corms.
  • cormophyte Any plant having a proper stem or axis of growth, which is distinct fr
  • cormus A corm.
  • cortex The outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the ki
  • cortical Pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure,
  • corticiferous Producing bark or bark-like structures.
  • corticiform Resembling, or having the form of, bark, rind, or a cortex.
  • corticine A material used for floor covering, made of ground cork and india rubb
  • cortissimo The shot that forms the coffee base of a flat white.
  • corvette A flush-decked warship of the 17th-18th centuries having a single tier
  • courtepy A short coat of coarse cloth.
  • cuirasse The armour-like crust that forms upon the exposure of a lateritic soil
  • cuirie An item of leather body armor, a forerunner to the cuirass; a cuirass.
  • curvet Of a horse or, by extension, another animal: to leap about, to frolic.
  • decorticate To peel or remove the bark, husk, or outer layer from something.
  • dentiscalp A toothpick.
  • describe To represent in words.
  • descript Archaic form of described.
  • description A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representat
  • descrive To describe.
  • diacope Synonym of tmesis.
  • discind To divide or split (something).
  • ecranisation An adaptation of a book, story, or other form of written or graphic wo
  • ecurie A stable.
  • ekranoplan a ground-effect vehicle
  • epicorium The pattern of cell wall thickening which forms the ornamentation on s
  • equip To supply with something necessary in order to carry out a specific ac
  • equipment The act of equipping, or the state of being equipped, as for a voyage
  • escribano A clerk; a scrivener.
  • escript A writing.
  • escroc A villain or crook, especially in French contexts.
  • escrupulo A traditional Spanish unit of mass, equivalent to about 1.2 g and chie
  • escudo The state currency formerly used in Portugal and its colonies, divided
  • escutcheon The shield on which a coat of arms is displayed, or, by extension, the
  • exscind To cut out.
  • haafu person of half or mixed ethnic Japanese and other ancestries usually f
  • half One of two usually roughly equal parts into which anything may be divi
  • halter A bitless headpiece of rope or straps, placed on the head of animals s
  • halvarine A form of reduced-fat margarine from Holland.
  • halve To reduce to half the original amount.
  • hapa A person of mixed ethnic heritage, especially half East or Southeast A
  • hatchet A small, light axe with a short handle; a tomahawk.
  • helve The handle or haft of a tool or weapon.
  • hogeschool A Dutch polytechnic or college; a higher education institution of lowe
  • inscribe To write or cut (words) onto (something, especially a hard surface, or
  • inscription The act of inscribing.
  • kalpa A period of 4.32 billion years (1000 chatur-yugas or cycles of the fou
  • khud A steep cleft in a hillside; a ravine.
  • kippage Those sailing together on a ship, both crew and passengers.
  • ko A local shape to which the ko rule applies; a ko shape.
  • kopis A short forward curved sword in Ancient Greece used primarily as a cut
  • korr A korred.
  • korzec An old Polish dry measure, a bushel: in the early 19th century, it was
  • kyle A narrow arm or channel of the sea between an island and the mainland,
  • landscape A portion of land or territory as defined by its landform, its geograp
  • macrocormic Having a long torso in relation to the length of the lower limbs.
  • multiscious Having much or varied knowledge.
  • nanocormia A form of dwarfism characterized by a very short trunk
  • nice Pleasant, satisfactory, complimentary.
  • nondescript Not described (in the academic literature).
  • parachronic Existing in a separate timeline or temporal dimension; pertaining to s
  • pericope A section of text forming a coherent thought, suitable for use in a sp
  • podoscaph Each of a pair of ski-shaped canoe-like floats attached to the feet, u
  • postscript An addendum to a letter, added after the author's signature.
  • prescience Knowledge of events before they take place.
  • prescribe To order (a drug or medical device) for use by a particular patient (u
  • procope Synonym of apheresis.
  • rescind To repeal, annul, or declare void; to take (something such as a rule o
  • rescission An act of rescinding: removing, taking away, or taking back.
  • sarcoptic Pertaining to, or caused by mites of the genus Sarcoptes.
  • sarplier A coarse cloth made of hemp, used for packing goods, such as wool, hop
  • scab An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed during
  • scabbard The sheath of a sword.
  • scabies An infestation of parasitic mites, Sarcoptes scabiei, causing intense
  • scabrous Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough.
  • scaglia A reddish variety of limestone.
  • scagliola Plasterwork imitating marble, granite, etc.
  • scall Mean; wretched.
  • scalpel A small straight knife with a very sharp blade used for surgery, disse
  • scalpellum One of the four filamentous organs in the proboscis of hemipterous ins
  • scalpriform Shaped like a chisel.
  • scalprum A toothed raspatory used in trephining and in removing carious bone.
  • scapha The scaphoid fossa of the helix of the ear.
  • scaphander A kind of diving suit.
  • scaphoid Shaped like a boat.
  • scaphopod tusk shell
  • scar A permanent mark on the skin, sometimes caused by the healing of a wou
  • scatter To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse.
  • scheisse Euphemistic form of shit.
  • schelling A silver coin formerly current in the Low Countries.
  • schelm A villain or scoundrel.
  • schilling The old currency of Austria, divided into 100 groschen.
  • schismatic Of or pertaining to a schism.
  • sciath An oblong shield of wickerwork once used in Ireland.
  • scientism The belief that the scientific method and the assumptions and research
  • sciolism The practice of expressing opinions on something which one knows only
  • sciscitation The act of inquiring; inquiry; demand.
  • scissile Readily cut or split.
  • scissiparity reproduction by fission
  • scitament A pleasant dish or delicacy.
  • scoop Any cup-shaped or bowl-shaped tool, usually with a handle, used to lif
  • score The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant
  • scorn To feel or display contempt or disdain for something or somebody; to d
  • scrab To scrape or scratch.
  • scrape To draw (an object, especially a sharp or angular one), along (somethi
  • screed To rend, to shred, to tear.
  • screen A physical barrier that shelters or hides.
  • screeve To write.
  • scribble To write or draw carelessly and in a hurry.
  • scribe Someone who writes; a draughtsperson; a writer for another; especially
  • script A writing; a written document.
  • scriptio continua A style of writing without spacing between the words of the text, part
  • scriptor A writer, regarded as producing a work but not as providing its explan
  • scriptorian One who is familiar with scripture or sacred writing, or who refers ba
  • scriptorium A room set aside for the copying, writing, or illuminating of manuscri
  • scriptory Of or pertaining to writing; expressed or used in writing; written.
  • scriptura continua Synonym of scriptio continua.
  • Scripture The foundational text of a given religion, or a text considered especi
  • scripture A sacred writing or holy book.
  • scrivan A clerk or writer.
  • scrivano A scribe or clerk.
  • scrivener A professional writer; one whose occupation is to draw contracts or pr
  • scrobe A trench.
  • scrutiny Intense study of someone or something.
  • scudo A silver coin and unit of currency of various Italian states from the
  • scullery A small room, next to a kitchen, where washing up and other domestic c
  • sculpt To form by sculpture.
  • sculptor A person who sculpts; an artist who produces sculpture.
  • sculpture A three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects a
  • scurf A skin disease.
  • scurvy Affected or covered with scurf (“skin disease causing flakes of skin t
  • scute A horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell o
  • scutelliform scutellate, saucer-shaped
  • scutum An oblong shield made of boards or wickerwork covered with leather, wi
  • shab Scabies.
  • shaft The entire body of a long weapon, such as an arrow.
  • shale A shell, scale or husk; a cod or pod.
  • shalk A servant.
  • shape The status or condition of something
  • share A portion of something, especially a portion given or allotted to some
  • shave To make (the head, skin etc.) bald or (the hair) shorter by using a to
  • shear To remove the fleece from (a sheep, llama, etc.) by clipping.
  • sheath A holster for a sword; a scabbard.
  • sheathe To put (something such as a knife or sword) into a sheath.
  • sheave A wheel having a groove in the rim for a rope to work in, and set in a
  • shed To part, separate or divide.
  • sheer The curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.
  • sheitel A wig worn by married Orthodox Jewish women.
  • shell A hard external covering of an animal.
  • shicer A worthless thing or person, especially a swindler.
  • shide A piece of wood (a thin board or plank, or a strip of wood split off);
  • shield To protect, to defend.
  • shift A movement to do something, a beginning.
  • shilf straw or reeds.
  • shilingi A unit of currency in East Africa, currently only in use by Tanzania,
  • shilling A coin formerly used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Australia,
  • shin The front part of the leg below the knee; the front edge of the shin b
  • shine To cause (something) to be smooth and shiny by rubbing; put a shine on
  • shit To defecate.
  • shive A slice, especially of bread.
  • shizer Scatological-type pornography, especially if it is produced in Germany
  • shoad Loose fragments (often of metal ore) mixed with earth.
  • shoal Any large number of persons or things.
  • short Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizo
  • short shrift A rushed sacrament of confession given to a prisoner who is to be exec
  • shred To cut or tear (something) into long, narrow pieces or strips.
  • shrew Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the fa
  • shrewdness The quality of being shrewd.
  • shrift The act of going to or hearing a religious confession.
  • shrim To shrink; to shrivel.
  • shrimp Any of many swimming, often edible, crustaceans, chiefly of the infrao
  • shrive To hear or receive a confession (of sins etc.).
  • shyster Someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, es
  • skein A thin strip of an osier (“long, pliable twig from a plant, usually a
  • skellum A rogue.
  • ski One of a pair of long flat runners designed for gliding over snow or w
  • skid An out-of-control sliding motion as would result from applying the bra
  • skiff A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
  • skill A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acqu
  • skilling A Scandinavian monetary unit and coin up to the 19th century. (A subdi
  • skin The outer protective layer of the body of any animal, including of a h
  • skinship Bonding through physical (touch, skin-to-skin) contact; particularly b
  • skipper The master of a ship.
  • skirt A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that
  • skite To defecate, to shit.
  • skive A rotating iron disk coated with oil and diamond dust used to polish t
  • skull The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium
  • skyf A cigarette.
  • slive To cut; split; separate.
  • squire A shield-bearer or armor-bearer who attended a knight.
  • squiry The body of squires, collectively; squirarchy.
  • superscribe to write on the exterior of, the surface of, or above.
  • superscript A type of lettering form that appears as a number, figure, or symbol a
  • syncopate to omit a vocalic or consonantal sound or a syllable from a word; to u
  • syncope The elision or loss of a sound from the interior of a word, especially
  • tahchin An Iranian rice dish.
  • transcribe To convert a representation of language, typically speech but also sig
  • transcript Something which has been transcribed; a writing or composition consist
  • écuelle A two-handled bowl for soup or porridge.
Romanian (76)
  • apocopă apocope
  • cabat mantle
  • card card (a payment, gift, loyalty, or memory card)
  • circumscrie to circumscribe, restrict
  • circumscripție district
  • conscripție conscription
  • copac tree
  • corabie ship, sailing vessel
  • coropcă a peddler's box
  • cortex cortex
  • corvetă corvette
  • cuirasă breastplate
  • cârn short, small, and with a raised tip; snub-nosed
  • căput mantle, coat, veston
  • decortica to decorticate
  • descrie to describe; to depict
  • descriptibil describable
  • descripție description
  • echină echinus, sea urchin
  • echipa to equip
  • echipaj crew
  • echipament equipment
  • ecran screen
  • ecritură writing
  • escroc crook, swindler
  • escudo escudo
  • eșarfă scarf
  • inscripție inscription
  • mezoscaf mesoscaphe
  • nești to not know
  • piroscaf steamer, steamship
  • prescrie to prescribe
  • prescripție prescription
  • pricopsi to enrichen
  • proscrie to proscribe
  • proscripție outlawry
  • scabie scabies, scab, itch, mange
  • scabios scabious
  • scafandru diver
  • scafă wooden bowl
  • scaliolă plasterwork
  • scalpel scalpel
  • scapet castrated man
  • schiper skipper
  • scinda to split
  • scopi synonym of castra (“to castrate”)
  • scor score
  • scorbură a hollow (sunken area in something solid, such as in the trunk of a tr
  • scrabble scrabble
  • scrib scribe
  • scrie to write
  • script script (of a film, play, show, etc.)
  • scriptoriu scriptorium
  • scriptură writing
  • scroafă sow (female pig)
  • sculpta to sculpt
  • sculptor sculptor
  • sculptură sculpture (object)
  • scurt short
  • scut shield
  • scutier squire
  • scârbă disgust, repugnance, aversion, nausea
  • sincopa to syncopate
  • subscriptor subscriber
  • subscripție subscription
  • telescriptor teleprinter
  • zgaibă blister
  • șaibă washer (flat metal disc with hole in centre used with nuts and bolts)
  • șaltăr switch
  • șeping shaping machine
  • șerui to scrape the meat from a hide
  • șiling shilling
  • șină rail
  • șort shorts, short trousers, short pants
  • șorț apron
  • ști to know

Sources and method

  • Etymologies. Wiktionary (English edition), every entry and its etymology templates, from the kaikki.org extraction of 3 October 2026 (CC BY-SA). Each entry’s ancestry was followed through inherited, derived and borrowed links until it reached a Proto-Indo-European root; the nearest root counts. Compounds and affixed words are counted apart.
  • Roots and their meanings. Wiktionary’s Proto-Indo-European root pages, and glosses quoted in word etymologies for roots without a page; Pokorny’s Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (1959) as listed with English glosses by the Indo-European Lexicon, University of Texas at Austin.
  • Which glosses mean cut. A word list fixed after the first Wiktionary glosses had been read once, and, separately, a second labeller, the AI model Codex, which saw only the glosses and never the root’s form. Both are reported; they agree on 99 per cent of Pokorny’s entries. A precision check had Codex read 130 random living-language words, drawn family by family, against their etymology text: 19 proved to be formed in their own language and were removed from the list; of the 111 that remain, 89 (80 per cent) were confirmed as coming from the root named, 5 refuted and 17 not settled. Words without a hedge were confirmed in 95 per cent of cases (69 of 73), hedged ones in 53 per cent (20 of 38).
  • Data to download. The ancestry assignments with a confidence flag (table), the definition of the four families, the precision sample with the etymology text it was read against and every test result, under CC BY-SA 4.0 as derived from Wiktionary. The gloss text of Pokorny’s list is not included.
  • Outside Indo-European. NorthEuraLex (CC BY-SA), eight concepts, a permutation test that redraws eight concepts at random.
  • The nineteen words. The etymology section of each Wiktionary entry, quoted in short; de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin, as cited there for scīre.