*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of satem

Learned borrowing from Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨 (satəm, “hundred”). The canonical example of a word that changed Proto-Indo-European palatovelar */ḱ/ into sibilant /s/ by the 3rd millennium BCE, as opposed to Latin centum (“hu

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Of or relating to a Proto-Indo-European language group that produced sibilants from a series of palatovelar stops.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Learned borrowing from Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨 (satəm, “hundred”). The canonical example of a word that changed Proto-Indo-European palatovelar */ḱ/ into sibilant /s/ by the 3rd millennium BCE, as opposed to Latin centum (“hundred”). Doublet of hundred and centum.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":lbor",
        "3": "ae:𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"hundred\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*déḱm̥\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*ḱm̥tóm\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-Iranian\", \"term\" : \"*ćatám\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"iir-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Avestan\", \"term\" : \"𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬀\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ae\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Avestan\", \"term\" : \"𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ae\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"satem\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"satem\">"
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      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨 (satəm, “hundred”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "centum",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hundred"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin centum (“hundred”)"
    },
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      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hundred",
        "3": "centum"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of hundred and centum"
    },
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      "𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨",
      "𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨#Avestan"
    ],
    [
      "Proto-Indo-European",
      "Proto-Indo-European"
    ],
    [
      "centum",
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    ],
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      "hundred",
      "hundred#English"
    ],
    [
      "centum",
      "centum#English"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or relating to a Proto-Indo-European language group that produced sibilants from a series of palatovelar stops."
      ],
      "tags": [
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    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for satem →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2F0ZW0