Paleolithic Wordlist 

 
* -highly subject to  Father ✕^✓  Shapes 
cultural perceptions     
⚜ -Pirahã Culture *​*a modern  Sibling of Parent  Circle 
culture with interesting  ● masc./fem./neut.  Oval/Ellipse 
perceptions, not to be conflated 
with primitive cultures**  Cousin  Square 
  ● masc./fem./neut.  Rectangle 
^ -Swadesh (207) list  Grandparent ✕✓  Star ❖ 
❖ -Leipzig-Jakarta List  ● masc./fem./neut.  Cross 
☩ -Dolgopolsky List  Niece   Line 
✕ -PIE Word List  Nephew ✕  Triangle 
✓ - Proto-Austronesian List  Husband ^   
  Wife ✕^  Sounds 
Pronouns​*     
  People​*  Crackle 
I ✕❖☩^✓⚜    Boom 
● Me ✕❖☩  Person ✕✓  Buzz 
You ✕❖☩^✓⚜  Man ✕^✓  Chomp 
● formal/informal  Woman ✕^✓  Click 
● sing./plural ^✓  Child ❖^✓  Creak 
Baby  Flutter 
We ✕✓⚜ 
Elder  Glug 
● Including you/us 
Foreigner  Groan 
but not you ✓ 
Stranger (same lang)  Pop 
They ^✓⚜  Rattle 
● sing./plural  Name ✕❖☩^ 
  Rustle 
● masc./fem./neut.  Slurp 
Color Classes​* 
It ⚜  Splash 
 
  Screech 
Black/Dark colors ✓⚜ 
Kinship​*  Squeak 
White/Light colors ✓⚜ 
  Swish 
-then- 
Parent ✕⚜  Thump 
Red colors/Warm colors ✓ 
Sibling ⚜  Twang 
(sometimes inclusive of 
● Elder  Woof 
purples) 
sibling/younger  -then-  Yelp 
sibling ✓  Green/Cool colors ✓  Squawk 
● Elder sibling of  (sometimes inclusive of  Quack 
same gender/younger  yellows)  Ribbit 
sibling of same  -then-  Neigh 
gender ✓  Blue colors  Roar 
● Elder sibling of  -and/or-  Crash 
different  Orange/Yellow Colors ✓  Puff ✓ 
gender/younger    Skid 
sibling of different  Numbers/Quantifiers​ *  Squish 
gender    Squeel 
Brother ✕  Small quantity ⚜   
● Brother of a woman ✓  Large Quantity ⚜   
Sister ✕  1   
● Sister of a man ✓  2 (pair) ☩   
Mother ✕^✓  1-10 ✕✓   
 2 

Tools  Cancer/Tumor  Penis 

  Mental illness  Vagina 
Handaxe  Fracture  Anus 
String/rope ^  To bleed  Nostril 
Garment  To menstruate  Eyebrow 
Loincloth  Dead   Fingernail ☩^✓ 
Shirt  Sore  Lung 
Trousers  Ache  Brain 
Shoe/Sandal  Swollen/To swell ^  Vein/Artery 
Hat  Congenital Disorder  Eyelid 
Glove  Acne  Eyelash 
Dwelling/hut/tent ✕❖✓    Knuckle 
Land/Roaming space ✓  Body Parts  Joint 
Doorway    Forehead ✕ 
Pelt  Nose ✕❖^✓   
Hearth (homefire) ✕  Mouth ❖^✓  Nature 
Splint  Lips ✓   
Sling  Tongue ✕❖☩^  Fire ❖^ 
Axe  Blood ✕❖^✓  Water ✕❖☩^ 
Spear  Bone ✕❖^✓  Root ❖^ 
Bola  Head ^✓  Rain ❖^ 
Bow ✓  Eye ✕❖☩^✓  Stone/Rock ❖^ 
Arrow  Jaw/Cheek/Chin ✕  Wind ✕❖^✓ 
Pottery ✓  Ear ✕❖^✓  Smoke ❖^ 
Harpoon  Tooth ✕❖☩^✓  Sand ❖^ 
Drum  Knee ✕❖^  Soil/Earth ✕❖^ 
Flute  Heart ✕☩^  Plant ✓ 
Xylophone (stone)  Liver ✕❖^✓  Leaf ❖^ 
Marimba (wood)  Leg/Foot/Thigh/Calf ✕❖^✓  Wood ✕❖ 
Bull-roarer  Ankle  Ash ❖^ 
Conch  Arm/Hand/Forearm/Biceps✕❖^✓  Shade/Shadow ❖ 
Harp  Wrist  Salt ❖^ 
Guitar  Elbow  Star ✕^ 
Kalimba (wood)  Finger  Sky ✕^ 
Pigment  Flesh/Skin ❖^✓  Sun ✕^ 
Dye  Back ❖^✓  Moon ^ 
Potion (medicine)  Belly ^✓  Cosmos/Universe 
  Intestines/Guts ^✓  Snow ✕^ 
Ailments  Breast ❖^✓  Ice ^ 
  Shoulder ✓  Light (n.) ✕ 
Blind  Neck ❖^✓  Night ^ 
Deaf  Hair ❖^✓  Day ^ 
Birth-mark  Toe  Cloud ^ 
Scar  Tear ✕  Clay 
Scab  Spit  Tree ✕^✓ 
Scratch  Urine  Origin (base of tree) ✓ 
Gash  Faeces  Obsidian 
Infection  Sperm  Fiber 
To amputate  Navel  Thunder 

^ -Swadesh (207) list ❖ -Leipzig-Jakarta List ☩ -Dolgopolsky List ✕ -Proto-Indo-European Word List  
✓ - Proto-Austronesian Word List
 3 

Nature cont.  Hill  Repaired 

  Valley  Clean 
Lightning  Delta  Dirty ^ 
Food  Desert  Hungry 
Drink   Plain/Flat area ✓  Thirsty 
Meat ❖^  Forest/Woods ^  Cold ^ 
Fruit ^✓  Field ✕  Warm ✕^✓ 
Gourd  River ^  Hot 
Spice  Sea/Ocean ^  Frozen 
Herb  Pond/Lake ^  Boiling 
Branch ^✓  Fog ^  Enough 
Log (chopped tree)  Steam  Rough 
Stick (cut branch)  Dew  Smooth ^✓ 
Bamboo ✓    Slippery ✓ 
Flower ^  Adjectives  Hairy 
Grass ^✓    Bare 
Vine ✓  Mid/Middle ✕  Solid/Dense 
Shell  Big ✕❖^  Brittle 
Tree Bark ^  Heavy ✕^  Greasy/Oily 
Poison  Light (weight) ✕  Tall (vertical) 
Venom  Other ✕^  Short (vertical)^ 
Sap  Old ✕❖^✓  Clear ✓ 
Oil/Fat ^  New ✕❖^  Calm ✓ 
Honey ✕  Young ✕  Opaque 
Berry  Naked ✕  Murky 
Pine  Covered/Dressed ✓  Wet ^ 
Pinecone  Far ❖^  Dry ^ 
Pile/Heap/Stack ✓  Near ^  Humid 
Boulder  Bitter ❖✓  Sturdy 
Storm  Sweet ❖  Loose ✓ 
Earthquake  Ripe ✓  Wobbly 
Tornado  Rotten ^  Sexy 
Volcano  Thick ❖^  Ugly 
Eruption  Thin ^  Cute 
Mountain ^  Long (horizontal) ❖^  Dignified 
Hurricane/Monsoon  Short (horizontal)^  Strange 
Dust ^✓  Good ❖x^  Random 
Dust Storm  Bad ^  Organized 
Wildfire  Okay  Round ^ 
Cadaver  Evil  Squared 
Horn ❖^  Hard/Firm/Rigid  Tired 
Tail ^  Soft/Malleable/Flexible  Exhausted 
Feather ^  Wide ❖^  Weak 
Wing ^✓  Small ❖^  Strong 
Nut/Seed ^✓  Bright   Straight ^ 
Hole ✓  Dark ✓  Curved 
Cliff  Sharp ^✓  Bent ✓ 
Cave  Dull/Blunt ^  (supposed to be 
Path  Broken ✓  straight but isn’t) 

^ -Swadesh (207) list ❖ -Leipzig-Jakarta List ☩ -Dolgopolsky List ✕ -Proto-Indo-European Word List  
✓ - Proto-Austronesian Word List
 4 

Adjectives cont.  To swim ^✓  To take ✕❖ 

  To choose ✓  To grab ✕ 
Dying  To fly ❖^✓  To blow ❖^✓ 
Zenith/High Point ✓  To dig ^  To roll/roll over ✓ 
Nadir/Low Point  To hit/bludgeon ✕❖✓  To run❖ 
Exposed/Vulnerable  To wash ^✓  To fall ❖^✓ 
Full ^  To smell ^  To tie ❖^✓ 
Empty  To feel ✓  To crush/grind ✕❖✓ 
  To wipe ^  To be ✕ 
Verbs  To count ^  To become ✕ 
  To float ^  To follow ✕✓ 
To breathe ✕^  To flow ^  To convey ✕ 
To sleep/dream ✕^✓  To freeze ^  To abandon ✕ 
To sweat ✕  To melt  To kill ✕^ 
To eat ✕❖^✓  To boil ✓  To lead/guide ✕ 
To drink ✕❖^  To burn (int.) ❖^✓  To protect ✓ 
To swallow  To rub ^✓  To obstruct ✓ 
To urinate  To squeeze ^✓  To fight ^ 
To defecate  To pinch ✓  To cook 
To give birth ✕  To wrap ✓  To disembowel 
To grow/age   To fold ✓  To mold/shape 
To grow/increase ✕✓  To turn (int.) ^✓  To dye 
To live ^  To run  To paint 
To die ✕^✓  To walk ^✓  To carve 
To cry ❖  To dig  To mix 
To hear ✕^  To share  To have sex 
To see/find ✕❖^  To split ^✓  To scratch ^✓ 
To look/stare ✓  To crack ✓  To braid/weave ✕ 
To search ✓  To play ^  To wear/to clothe ✕ 
To know ✕❖^✓  To stab ^  To pull ^✓ 
To recognize ✕  To fear ^  To push ^ 
To think ✕^✓  To vomit ^  To place/to put ✕ 
To speak/say ✕^  To shine   
To ask ✕  To scrape ✓   
To dance  To cut ^✓   
To sing ^  To go ✕ ❖   
To sneeze  To come ✕❖^   
To laugh ❖^  To return ✓   
To fart  To stand ✕❖^✓   
To do/make ❖  To sit ✕^   
To yell  To lie down ✕^   
To cough  To bite ❖^   
To spit ^  To give ✕❖^   
To hunt ^  To hide ❖   
To gather  To suck ❖^✓   
To spread out ✓  To throw ^   
To believe ✕  To catch ✓   
To lie  To carry ✕❖✓   
To construct ✕  To hold ^✓   

^ -Swadesh (207) list ❖ -Leipzig-Jakarta List ☩ -Dolgopolsky List ✕ -Proto-Indo-European Word List  
✓ - Proto-Austronesian Word List
 5 

Emotions  Sad  Fearful 

  Lonely  Threatened 
Happy  Isolated  Nervous 
Playful  Abandoned  Exposed 
Aroused  Vulnerable  Rejected 
Cheeky  Victimized  Excluded 
Content  Fragile  Persecuted 
Free  Despair  Weak 
Joyful  Grief  Worthless 
Interested  Powerless  Insignificant 
Curious  Guilt ✓  Insecure 
Inquisitive  Remorseful  Inadequate 
Proud  Ashamed  Inferior 
Successful  Depressed  Anxious 
Confident  Inferior  Overwhelmed 
Accepted  Empty  Worried 
Respected  Hurt  Scared 
Valued  Embarrassed  Helpless 
Powerful  Disappointed  Frightened 
Courageous     
Creative  Angry  Bad 
Peaceful  Critical  Bored 
Loving  Dismissive  Indifferent 
Thankful  Skeptical  Apathetic 
Trusting  Distant  Busy 
Sensitive  Numb  Pressured 
Intimate  Withdrawn  Rushed 
Optimistic  Frustrated  Stressed 
Hopeful  Annoyed  Overwhelmed 
Inspired  Infuriated  Out of control 
  Aggressive  Tired 
Disgusted  Hostile  Sleepy 
Repelled  Provoked  Unfocused 
Horrified  Mad   
Hesitant  Jealous  Surprised 
Awful  Furious  Startled 
Nauseated  Bitter  Shocked 
Detestable  Violated  Dismayed 
Disappointed  Indignant  Confused 
Appalled  Humiliated  Disillusioned 
Revolted  Ridiculed  Perplexed 
Disapproving  Disrespected  Amazed 
Judgemental  Let Down  Astonished 
Embarrassed  Resentful  Awe 
  Betrayed  Excited 
    Eager 
    Energetic 
   
 

^ -Swadesh (207) list ❖ -Leipzig-Jakarta List ☩ -Dolgopolsky List ✕ -Proto-Indo-European Word List  
✓ - Proto-Austronesian Word List
 6 

Sources​: 
 
Swadesh List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swadesh_list 
Leipzig-Jakarta List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig%E2%80%93Jakarta_list 
Dolgopolsky List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolgopolsky_list 
Proto-Indo-European List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_vocabulary 
Proto-Austronesian List: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Austronesian_language#Vocabulary 
Colors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqZR3pqMjg 
Sounds: https://www.boomboxpost.com/blog/2016/5/7/glossary-of-sound-effects 
Emotions: http://feelingswheel.com/ 

^ -Swadesh (207) list ❖ -Leipzig-Jakarta List ☩ -Dolgopolsky List ✕ -Proto-Indo-European Word List  
✓ - Proto-Austronesian Word List