SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Indo–European languages

plural noun

Definition of Indo–European languages

: a family of languages comprising 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 languages table

First Known Use of indo–european languages

1843

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Indo–European languages? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

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WORD OF THE DAY

akimbo

play

set in a bent position

Words at Play

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The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

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Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

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'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

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A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

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True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

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Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

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