Indo-European

1 of 2

adjective

In·​do-Eu·​ro·​pe·​an ˌin-dō-ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən How to pronounce Indo-European (audio)
: 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

Examples of Indo-European in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The word has very ancient origins and is found across many Indo-European languages in similar forms. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025 These included a €30 million ($34.9 million) Indo-European co-production pact between India’s Broadvision Perspectives and Luxembourg’s Fabrique d’Images, and a U.K.-India television series co-development MoU between The Bridge and Graphiti Studios. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 July 2025 Most languages spoken in Europe are Indo-European, but many linguists believe that Basque predates those. Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 Liberia has massive mineral reserves including iron ores deposits that are currently being operated inter-alia by the Indo-European conglomerate ArcelorMittal, with further investments from Turkish, Russian and Chinese interests as well. Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025 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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1813, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of Indo-European was in 1813

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Cite this Entry

“Indo-European.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Indo-European. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on Indo-European

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