English
diluent
Diluent comes from Latin diluens ‘washing away’, from lavō ‘to wash’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewh₃-‘to wash’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lowō‘to wash’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElavō‘to wash’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīluōas diluere‘to wash away’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiluens‘washing away’
- Englishearliest quotation 1731diluent
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewh₃-‘to wash’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lowō‘to wash’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElavō‘to wash’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīluōas diluere‘to wash away’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiluens‘washing away’
- Englishearliest quotation 1731diluent
Earliest quotation: 1731, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Nature of Aliments: “there is no real Diluent but Water, every Fluid…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- ‘to wash’
laundry, lavish, lather, lye, latrine, solute, lavage, 14 more
through Latin lavō ‘to wash’
lavatory, launder, alluvial, laver, lave, ablution, 9 more
through Latin dīluō ‘to wash away’
Today it means
noun That which dilutes.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- / diluent