English
Plato
Plato comes from Ancient Greek πλατύς ‘broad, wide’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- ‘flat’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleth₂-‘flat’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pléth₂us‘flat, broad’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*plətús‘wide, broad’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλατύςplatús‘broad, wide’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΠλάτωνPlátōn
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEPlatō
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Plato
- Englishearliest quotation 1993same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleth₂-‘flat’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pléth₂us‘flat, broad’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*plətús‘wide, broad’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλατύςplatús‘broad, wide’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΠλάτωνPlátōn
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEPlatō
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Plato
- Englishearliest quotation 1993same form
Earliest quotation: 1993, Nina Bawden, The Real Plato Jones: “My name is Plato Jones. Plato Constantine Jones. Plato…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- ‘flat’
flat, collateral, lateral, piazza, plateau, plantain, flan, 12 more
through Proto-Hellenic *plətús ‘wide, broad’
through Ancient Greek πλατύς ‘broad, wide’
Today it means
name A male given name from Ancient Greek.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- / Plato