Etymograph

English

citadel

Citadel comes from Italian cittadella, from città ‘city’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ‘to be lying down’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱey-‘to be lying down’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*keiwis‘society’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEceivis
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEceivitās
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcīvitās‘a city and all external territory’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentcittà‘city’
  7. Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentcittadelladiminutive of città
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentcitadelle
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1836citadel

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱey-‘to be lying down’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*keiwis‘society’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEceivis
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEceivitās
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcīvitās‘a city and all external territory’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentcittà‘city’
  7. Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentcittadelladiminutive of città
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentcitadelle
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1836citadel

Earliest quotation: 1836, Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, The American in England: “Intrenched within the citadel of our apartment, and cheered…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ‘to be lying down’

home, city, hide, cemetery, coma, haunt, ceilidh, hame, incivility, 28 more

through Proto-Italic *keiwis ‘society’

civilisation, civics, civility, civilize, 16 more

through Latin ceivis

civil, civic, 20 more

through Latin cīvitās ‘a city and all external territory’

civitas, 15 more

Today it means

noun A strong fortress that sits high above a city.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- / citadel

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