Etymograph

English

echinoderm

Echinoderm comes from French échinoderme, from derme ‘dermis’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-‘to tear, tear apart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dérōreconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρω‘to skin, flay’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδέρμα‘skin’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentderme‘dermis’
  6. French, derivedc. 1600–presentéchinoderme
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1879echinoderm

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-‘to tear, tear apart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dérōreconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρω‘to skin, flay’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδέρμα‘skin’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentderme‘dermis’
  6. French, derivedc. 1600–presentéchinoderme
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1879echinoderm

Earliest quotation: 1879, Richard Rathbun: “Comparatively few additions were therefore made to the previously…”

Formed from echino + derm

Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’

Proto-Hellenic *dérō

Ancient Greek δέρω ‘to skin, flay’

Ancient Greek δέρμα ‘skin’

English derm

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’

truck, tear, tart, turd, tirade, tarn, 15 more

through Ancient Greek δέρω ‘to skin, flay’

pander, 8 more

through Ancient Greek δέρμα ‘skin’

dermatology, dermatitis, dermis, derma, 3 more

Today it means

noun An animal of the phylum Echinodermata, comprising radially symmetric, spiny-skinned marine animals including seastars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, crinoids, and sand dollars.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *der- / echinoderm

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