SHEEP

This word in Indo-European languages most probably comes from a word used by the Early European Farmers (European Hunter-Gatherers and Anatolian Hunter-Gatherers mixture) because first sheep were introduced to Europe by Anatolian Farmers in the Neolithic. The earliest domesticated sheep in Europe were the ancestors of today's feral European mouflons and have been replaced in agriculture by wool sheep. The replacement of the first domesticated sheep by wool sheep may have already started by 4000 BC. In a similar, rather later process, fat-tailed sheep became predominant in many locations of Asia[1].

This original word was most probably closest to Hebrew "כֶּבֶשׂ‎ (kéves)", Arabic "كَبْش‎ (kabš)" ("ram, male sheep") and Egyptian "Khnubis" (Χνοῦβις, a name of a god with a head of a ram). It could also be related to Latvian "ķēve" and Polish "kobyła" both meaning "female horse" but more interestingly it would be a proof that Germanic "sheep" comes from Early European Farmer word "*skep" or "*skab" also present in Cornish as "davas (*kavas)", Northern Sami as "sávza" (a "satem" form of "*kavza"), Zazaki "kavır (*kavis)", Bulgarian "коч (koč)" ("ram"), Old English "scēap" (skeap, *skeab). Albanian word sqap meaning "male goat" would make a Latin word "capra" (kapra) related to a word "*kabis". It would deny the PIE reconstruction with a laryngeal h₂ in *h₂owis or *h₂ewis or *h₂awis because the original word would then be *kobis, *kabis or *kavza, which would explain the simple change of K to H in Anatolian languages.

HAV-

Lycian: χawã (hawa)

Luwian: ḫāwīs, ha-wà/ì-i-śa

Hittite: UDU-us (Sumerogram; *ḫāwis is reconstructed based on Luwian)

AVI-

Lithuanian: avis

Lithuanian: ãvinas ("ram")

Old Prussian: awins ("ram")

Belarusian: аве́чка (aviéčka)

Old High German: awi

Tocharian B: awi

Sanskrit: अवि (ávi)

Gothic: 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍂 (awistr) ("sheepfold")

AU-

Latvian: auns ("ram")

Old High German: au

Alemannic German: Au, Äugst, Äust

German: Aue

Middle English: awe

UV-

Umbrian: 𐌖𐌅𐌄𐌌 (uvem) (acc.sg.)

HOV-

Old Armenian: հովիւ (hoviw) ("shepherd")

Armenian: հովիվ (hoviv)

OV-

Latin: ovis

Old Church Slavonic: овьца ⱁⰲⱐⱌⰰ (ovĭca)

Old East Slavic: овьца (ovĭca)

Old Church Slavonic: овьнъ (ovĭnŭ) ("ram")

Old Polish: owien ("ram")

Russian: овца́ (ovcá)

Bulgarian: овца́ (ovcá)

Macedonian: овца (óvca)

Serbo-Croatian: о́вца, óvca

Slovene: óvca

Czech: ovce

Polish: owca

Slovak: ovca

Low German: Öwwe

Middle High German: ouwe

Persian: عفه‎‎ (ofe) ("sheepskin")

Russian: ове́н (ovén) ("ram")

Bulgarian: овен (ovén) ("ram")

Macedonian: овен (óven) ("ram")

Serbo-Croatian: о́ван, óvan ("ram")

Slovene: óvən ("ram")

OB-

Cimbrian: öbe

Wakhi: yobc

OU-

Saterland Frisian: Oue

Middle Dutch: ou

Old High German: ou, ouwi, ouwist, ouwit

Middle English: yowe, yeue

Scots: yowe, yhow

Middle English: ouwe

OI

---> Estonian: oinas ("ram")

---> Finnish: oinas ("ram")

Ancient Greek: ὄϊς (óïs)

Ancient Greek: οἶς (oîs)

Old Irish: oí

Istro-Romanian: oie

Aromanian: oai

Megleno-Romanian: oaiă

Romanian: oaie

German Low German: Öi

Middle Dutch: ooi

Dutch: ooi

Afrikaans: ooi

Saterland Frisian: oye

OL-

Danish: ålam (Thy dialect)

EI-

Old Frisian: ei, ey

West Frisian: ei

German Low German: Ei

EW- EU-

Old Saxon: ewi, ewwi

Middle Low German: ewe

Old High German: ewist, ewit

English: ewe

Low German: Eev

Middle English: ewe, eu

Old English: ēowu, ēoƿu

AR- ER-

Old Norse: ær

Icelandic: ær

Faroese: ær

Norwegian: ærsaud

V-

Ukrainian: вівця́ (vivcjá)

Lower Sorbian: wójca

Upper Sorbian: wowca

-AGN-

Latin: agnus ("lamb")

Old Church Slavonic: агнѧ ⰰⰳⱀⱔ (agnę) ("lamb")

Bulgarian: а́гне (ágne) ("lamb")

Old East Slavic: ꙗгнѧ (jagnę) ("lamb")

Russian: ягнёнок (jagnjónok) ("lamb")

Macedonian: ја́гне (jágne) ("lamb")

Serbo-Croatian: ја̏гње, jȁgnje, jȁnje ("lamb")

Slovene: jágnje ("lamb")

Polish: jagnię ("lamb")

Lower Sorbian: jagnje ("lamb")

Ukrainian: ягня́ (jahnjá) ("lamb")

Belarusian: ягня́ (jahnjá) ("lamb")

Slovak: jahňa ("lamb")

Czech: jehně ("lamb")

Upper Sorbian: jehnjo ("lamb")

Ancient Greek: ἀμνός (amnós) ("lamb")

Article published on the 30th of October 2018. Updated on 9th of July 2022 with a proper description and anti-laryngeal proof in the reconstructed word.