septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European)

Where does "septḿ̥" come from?

The Proto-Indo-European numeral '*septḿ̥'[1], meaning 'seven'[1], bears a striking similarity to the Proto-Semitic form '*šabʕ-'[1], which may be the source of a borrowing between the two language families[1]. Scholars suggest this shared vocabulary points to direct contact between early Indo-European and Semitic speakers in Anatolia and Mesopotamia as a cultural word during the fourteenth century BCE[1].

Open questions

• The Proto-Indo-European form may be a borrowing from Proto-Semitic '*šabʕ-', though this contact remains a proposal based on cultural word circulation. [1]

Full etymology tree

• *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
  • borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
    • derived *sṗɣ (Proto-Afroasiatic)

Ancestors

• *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic)

Cognates and doublets

• *šwid- (Proto-Kartvelian)

Descendants and derived words

• *septm̥mós (Proto-Indo-European)
• *septḿ̥dḱomt (Proto-Indo-European)

Sources

1. septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
2. šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris