sa·tem (sä t m)adj. Designating those Indo-European languages, including the Indo-Iranian, Armenian, and Balto-Slavic subfamilies, in which original palatal velar stops became fricatives (as k' > s or  ) and labiovelar stops became plain velars (as kw > k).[Avestan sat m, hundred (a word whose initial sound illustrates the change); see dek in Indo-European roots.] |
satem [ˈsɑːtəm ˈseɪ-]
adj
(Linguistics / Languages) denoting or belonging to the group of Indo-European languages in which original velar stops became palatalized (k > s or ʃ). These languages belong to the Indic, Iranian, Armenian, Slavonic, Baltic, and Albanian branches and are traditionally regarded as the E group Compare centum
[from Avestan sat&̄m hundred; chosen to exemplify the variation of initial s with initial k (as in centum) in Indo-European languages]
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