Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leb-

The reconstruction is uncertain, and contains the rare PIE phoneme *b. A secondary form *lh₂P- also exists, with a variety of labials standing in for P. Moreover, the Iranian initial l- is irregular. The root therefore probably originates from a substrate language or onomatopoeia.[1]

*leb-

1. to hang down loosely
2. lip
3. lick

• *léb-ti ~ *l̥b-énti (athematic root present)
  • Anatolian: *lébti
    • Hittite: 𒇷𒅁𒍣‎ (le-ep-zi)
• Unsorted formations:
  • Germanic: *lepô, *lipjô (“lip”)
  • Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek (possibly) λοβός (lobós)
  • Indo-Iranian: *lap-
    • Iranian: *lap-
      • Middle Persian: [script needed] (lab)
        • Persian: لب‎ (lab, “lip”)
      • Kurdish:

        Northern Kurdish: lêv (“lip”), liv (“movement, act of moving”)

        Central Kurdish: لێو‎ (lēw, “lip”)

        Southern Kurdish: لێو‎ (lēw, “lip”)

      • Zazaki: lew (law, “lip”)
  • Italic:
    • Latin: labium (“lip”), lābrum

From the root *lh₂P-:

• *lh₂b- (root present)
  • Germanic: *lapaną (“to lick”)
    • Old High German: laffan
• *lh₂-né-b(ʰ)- ~ *lh₂-m-b(ʰ)- (nasal-infix present)
  • Italic:
    • Latin: lambō (“to lick”)
• *lh₂b-el-os
  • Germanic: *lapilaz (“spoon”)
    • Dutch: lepel
    • Old High German: leffil
• Unsorted formations:
  • Albanian: lap (“to lick up water”)
  • Armenian:
    • Old Armenian: լափեմ (lapʿem, “to lap up, lick up; to eat up greedily, devour”)
  • Balto-Slavic:
    • Lithuanian: lapènti (“to eat greedily”)
    • Slavic:
      • East Slavic:
        • Russian: ло́пать (lópatʹ, “to gobble up”)
      • South Slavic:
        • Bulgarian: лапам (lapam, “to eat greedily”)
  • Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: λάπτω (láptō, “to lick”)
    • Ancient Greek: λαφύσσω (laphússō, “to devour”)