Cowgill's law

proper noun

A law of sound change, stating that a former /o/ vowel in Proto-Greek becomes /u/ between a resonant (/r/, /l/, /m/, /n/) and a labial consonant (including labiovelars), in either order.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. Indo European studiesA law of sound change, stating that a former /o/ vowel in Proto-Greek becomes /u/ between a resonant (/r/, /l/, /m/, /n/) and a labial consonant (including labiovelars), in either order.
  2. Indo European studiesA law of sound change, stating that a Proto-Indo-European laryngeal /h₃/, and possibly /h₂/, turns into /k/ when directly preceded by a sonorant and followed by /w/.

Origin

Named after Indo-Europeanist Warren Cowgill.

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Cite this entry
APA

Cowgill's law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cowgill's%20law

MLA

“Cowgill's law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cowgill's%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cowgill's law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cowgill's%20law.

Source: Cowgill's law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.