Indo-European

1 of 2

adjective

In·​do-Eu·​ro·​pe·​an ˌin-dō-ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən 

: of, relating to, or constituting the Indo-European languages

Indo-European

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a member of the people speaking an unrecorded prehistoric language from which the Indo-European languages are descended

b

: this language

2

: indo-european languages

Examples of Indo-European in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

One group argues the script has links to Indo-European languages such as ancient Sanskrit, which spawned many languages now spoken across northern India. —Jessie Yeung, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025

Origins of Indo-European Language: A new study claims to have identified the first speakers of the language, which gave rise to English, Sanskrit and hundreds of others. —Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025

There are over 400 variations of the Indo-European language which are spoken by over half of the world’s population. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025

Another group moved south into Anatolia, likely bringing an early form of Indo-European with them. —Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025

The Phrygians were an ancient Indo-European people who inhabited central Anatolia (in what is now modern-day Turkey) during the early first millennium B.C. —Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024

These words might be connected to an earlier Indo-European root related to burning or heat, since brass is made by smelting copper and zinc, though this is not definitively established. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

The newfound mobility of these early riders, the story goes, helped catalyze huge migrations across the continent, distributing ancestral Indo-European languages and cultures across Eurasia. —William Taylor, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2024

Another 30% speak an Asian language and 10% speak an Indo-European language. —Ray Chavez, The Mercury News, 4 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1813, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for Indo-European

• adlerian
• caesarian
• cyclopean
• empyrean
• euclidean
• european
• grammarian
• hercynian
• huronian
• jacobean
• kampuchean
• maccabean

Kids Definition

Indo-European

1 of 2 adjective

In·​do-Eu·​ro·​pe·​an

ˌin-dō-ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən

: of, relating to, or being a family of languages including those spoken in most of Europe and in the parts of the world colonized by Europeans since 1500 and also in Persia, the subcontinent of India, and some other parts of Asia

Indo-European

2 of 2 noun

1

: the Indo-European languages

2

: a member of a people who originally spoke an Indo-European language