European linguist known for his work in Celtic studies and Indo-European etymological research.

Pokorny was a professor at the University of Berlin from 1920 until 1935/36 and taught subsequently in Switzerland, holding lectureships at the University of Bern from 1944 to 1948 and at the University of Zürich from 1944 to 1958. He was named an honorary professor at the University of Munich in 1955. His major works include Altirische Grammatik (1925; “Old Irish Grammar”), Altkeltische Dichtungen (1944; “Old Celtic Poems”), and the monumental Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2 vol. (1948–69; “Indo-Germanic 【Indo-European】 Etymological Dictionary”).