Etymograph

English

columella

Columella comes from Latin columella ‘small column’, from culmen ‘a pillar, top, crown, summit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelH- ‘to rise, be tall’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelH-‘to rise, be tall’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kolamenreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEculmen‘a pillar, top, crown, summit’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolumna‘column, pillar’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolumella‘small column’
  6. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelH-‘to rise, be tall’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kolamenreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEculmen‘a pillar, top, crown, summit’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolumna‘column, pillar’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolumella‘small column’
  6. Englishtodaysame form

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kelH- ‘to rise, be tall’

hill, excellent, excellence, hale, excellency, culminate, excelsior, holm, 9 more

through Latin culmen ‘a pillar, top, crown, summit’

culmination, 7 more

through Latin columna ‘column, pillar’

colonel, colonnade, 4 more

Today it means

noun Any of various small structures in plants or animals that are columnar in shape.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kelH- / columella

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