protolanguage; parent language
Linguistics term for a reconstructed ancestral language from which later languages are derived. Compare 祖語.
See also: 祖語
Research on the Proto-Indo-European language flourished in the 19th century.
root word; word in the parent language
Linguistics term for a word reconstructed in a protolanguage, or a word from which later forms are derived. Compare 派生語.
See also: 派生語
The root word of this term goes back to Latin.
Compound of 基 (base, foundation) and 語 (word, language). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term appears to be a modern coinage for linguistics.