Etymograph

English

aliment

Aliment comes from French aliment ‘food’, from Latin alō ‘to nourish, sustain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂életi‘grow, nourish’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*alōreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalō‘to nourish, sustain’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEalimentum‘food’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentaliment‘food’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1597same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂életi‘grow, nourish’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*alōreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalō‘to nourish, sustain’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEalimentum‘food’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentaliment‘food’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1597same form

Earliest quotation: 1597, Francis Bacon, Of the Coulers of Good and Evill. A Fragment.: “As when Demosthenes reprehended the people for hearkening to…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’

as, all, old, else, adult, el, ultimate, ultra, elder, alternate, element, outrage, alter, ellen, ou, altitude, alumni, qualification, alien, altar, alt, alpine, abolish, adolescent, alto, alum, alias, proletariat, auld, ulterior, alp, retaliate, altruism, parallax, alibi, coalesce, foetal, exalt, aad, eld, 66 more

through Latin alō ‘to nourish, sustain’

ambulance, ambulatory, alimony, ambler, amble, 19 more

Today it means

noun Food.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / aliment

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