Word History: Derivatives of Indo-European roots have often acquired starkly contrasting meanings. A prime example is the case of the root *k-, to like, desire. From it was derived a stem *kro-, from which came the prehistoric Common Germanic word *hraz with the underlying meaning one who desires and the effective meaning adulterer. The feminine of this, *hrn-, became hre in Old English, the ancestor of Modern English whore. In another branch of the Indo-European family, the same stem *kro- produced the Latin word crus, dear. This word has several derivatives borrowed into English, including caress, cherish, and charity, in Christian doctrine the highest form of love and the greatest of the theological virtues. · Another derivative of the root *k- in Indo-European was *kmo-, a descendant of which is the Sanskrit word for love, kma, appearing in the name of the most famous treatise on love and lovemaking, the Kamasutra.