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1. kgeist · 1789721644 · focus · HN ↗

   >Words borrowed from a Pre–Indo-European language into Mediterranean languages

   > [...] Greek μύρμηξ mýrmēx ‘ant’, Latin formica

   Must be an error:

     Proto-Celtic *morwos
     Proto-Balto-Slavic: *marwis
     Proto-Indo-Iranian: *marwiš
     Proto-Germanic: *mauraz
     Old Armenian: mrǰimn
   

   Greek murmēx could be an assimilation murw- => murm-, and Latin had dissimilation morm- => form- (although not clear what came first, maybe morm- was the original and morw- came later). Sanskrit also has vamra "ant", which makes it look like the whole thing is a tabooistic distortion of *wr̥mis "worm".

   In any way, it doesn't look like it must be borrowed. Historically, some words once labeled Pre-Indoeuropean turned out to have pretty mundane PIE origins.

   1. kgeist · 1789723110 · focus · HN ↗

      >wine

      It could be an original Proto-Indoeuropean word as well, because Greek has ὑιήν "grapewine" (< *wih₁-ēn), which follows PIE ablaut (weyh₁-ō ~ wih₁-ēn), which doesn't usually happen if it's just a borrowing of a foreign word. And the same root is found in Latin vitis "vine", Russian vit'sa "to twist (often about vines)" etc.

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