English
protome
Protome comes from Ancient Greek προτομή ‘severed head, bust’, from τομή ‘part cut off’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-1‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥-né-h₁-ti1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέμνω2‘to cut’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτομή3‘part cut off’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροτομή3protomḗ‘severed head, bust’
- Englishtodayprotome3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τέμνω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τομή
- 3 Wiktionary, English protome
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τέμνω‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥-né-h₁-tiWiktionary, Ancient Greek τέμνωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέμνωWiktionary, Ancient Greek τομή‘to cut’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτομήWiktionary, English protome‘part cut off’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπροτομήWiktionary, English protomeprotomḗ‘severed head, bust’
- EnglishtodayprotomeWiktionary, English protome
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- ‘to cut’
contempt, templar, tempestuous, 35 more
through Ancient Greek τέμνω ‘to cut’
Today it means
noun A decorative element, on ancient artefacts, based on the head of an animal or bust of a person.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “protome”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek τέμνω, Ancient Greek τομή. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- / protome