Etymograph

English

aperture

Aperture comes from Latin apertūra ‘an opening’, from aperiō ‘to uncover, make or lay bare’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *apweriō.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*apweriōreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaperiō‘to uncover, make or lay bare’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEapertūra‘an opening’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1859aperture

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*apweriōreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaperiō‘to uncover, make or lay bare’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEapertūra‘an opening’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1859aperture

Earliest quotation: 1859, Richard Owen, London: J. W. Parker and Son: “Were the larynx of the little creature like that…”

Linked words

through Latin apertūra ‘an opening’

overture, 3 more

Today it means

noun A small or narrow opening, gap, slit, or hole.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *apweriō / aperture

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