English
argentiferous
Argentiferous comes from Latin argentum ‘silver’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- ‘white, argent, glittering’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erǵ-‘white, argent, glittering’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ŕ̥ǵn̥tom‘silver’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*argentom‘silver’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEargentum‘silver’
- Englishearliest quotation 1854argentiferous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erǵ-‘white, argent, glittering’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ŕ̥ǵn̥tom‘silver’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*argentom‘silver’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEargentum‘silver’
- Englishearliest quotation 1854argentiferous
Earliest quotation: 1854, Carl Friedrich Plattner, Sheridan Muspratt: “To these [compounds] belong native gold, alloys of gold…”
Formed from argentum + -iferous
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- ‘white, argent, glittering’
Today it means
adj Containing or producing silver.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- / argentiferous