English
protolang
From proto- + -lang.
Formed from proto- + -lang
Proto-Indo-European *pér ‘through’
Proto-Indo-European *pró ‘forwards, before’
Proto-Hellenic *pró
Ancient Greek πρό ‘before’
Ancient Greek πρῶτος ‘first’
English proto-
Today it means
noun A constructed ancestor language from which other naturalistic conlangs are descended (actually or retroactively).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “protolang”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / protolang