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Ur·spra·che

(rshprä′ə)

See protolanguage.

[German : ur-, original (from Middle High German, out of, from Old High German; see ud- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + Sprache, language, speech (from Middle High German sprāche, from Old High German sprāhha).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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