English
centipede
Centipede comes from French centipède ‘centipedal’, from Latin pēs ‘foot’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓds‘foot’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pets‘foot’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpēs‘foot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentipeda
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcentipède‘centipedal’
- Englishearliest quotation 1993centipede
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓds‘foot’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pets‘foot’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpēs‘foot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentipeda
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcentipède‘centipedal’
- Englishearliest quotation 1993centipede
Earliest quotation: 1993, Gordon M. Nishida, JoAnn M. Tenorio: “Centipedes differ from millipedes by having a single pair…”
Formed from centi + pede
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’
pilot, fetch, expedition, footing, impeachment, footed, expedite, fet, ped, fetter, pada, 48 more
through Proto-Indo-European *pṓds ‘foot’
feet, foot, podium, pew, pug, baht, puy, poy, tripos, 37 more
through Proto-Italic *pets ‘foot’
through Latin pēs ‘foot’
pioneer, pedestrian, pedal, pedigree, pes, impede, impediment, pedicure, petiole, peon, pedometer, expeditious, pedicle, pedicel, biped, 12 more
Today it means
noun Any arthropod of class Chilopoda, which have a segmented body with one pair of legs per segment and from about 20 to 300 legs in total.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ped- / centipede