English
apophony
Apophony comes from French apophonie ‘apophony, ablaut’, from Ancient Greek φωνή ‘sound’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰoh₂-néh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰōnā́reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφωνήphōnḗ‘sound’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentapophonie‘apophony, ablaut’
- Englishearliest quotation 1986apophony
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰoh₂-néh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰōnā́reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφωνήphōnḗ‘sound’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentapophonie‘apophony, ablaut’
- Englishearliest quotation 1986apophony
Earliest quotation: 1986, David A. Pharies, Structure and Analogy in the Playful Lexicon of Spanish: “Cinglar has the merit of referring to a back…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’
focus, professor, famous, fuel, ben, favor, favourite, ban, fantasy, phase, fate, fancy, fame, fatal, bee, fairy, fabulous, emphasis, infant, profession, photographer, abandon, phenomenon, confession, beck, confess, phantom, beacon, eff, fab, fay, bane, boon, fable, foyer, banish, buoy, nefarious, profess, fantasia, 120 more
through Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́
saxophone, gramophone, phoneme, 13 more
through Ancient Greek φωνή ‘sound’
phone, symphony, sinfonia, cacophony, euphonium, phonon, 16 more
Today it means
noun Modification of an internal vowel sound in a word or linguistic root, especially so as to establish a lexical distinction.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / apophony