| Indo-European |
| Definition: A family of several hundred languages and dialects. It includes most of the languages of Europe, as well as many in Asia. It has about 3 billion native speakers. According to SIL Ethnologue, 12 of the top 20 most-spoken languages are Indo-European: Marathi, French, Italian, Punjabi, Spanish, English, Hindi, Russian, German, Portuguese, Bengali, and Urdu. |
| Etymology: The first OED citation for the term is from 1814. It was coined by Egyptologist Thomas Young (1773 - 1829) and first used in a Quarterly Review article. Note: The combining form Indo derives from the Greek Indos, India. |