Etymograph

English

espalier

Espalier comes from Italian spalliera ‘back’, from spalla ‘shoulder’, and ultimately from Proto-Hellenic *spátʰā ‘blade’.

  1. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*spátʰā‘blade’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσπάθηspáthē‘any broad blade, of wood or metal’
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatha‘straight sword’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEspatula‘a broad, flat piece’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*spatlareconstructed
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentspalla‘shoulder’
  7. Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentspalliera‘back’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentespalier
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1886same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*spátʰā‘blade’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσπάθηspáthē‘any broad blade, of wood or metal’
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatha‘straight sword’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEspatula‘a broad, flat piece’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*spatlareconstructed
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentspalla‘shoulder’
  7. Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentspalliera‘back’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentespalier
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1886same form

Earliest quotation: 1886, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners […]: “Often some night-animal, hedgehog or weasel, setting out on…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’

do, fact, hot, deal, fair, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, theme, defence, custom, ethnic, treasury, sufficient, treasure, defendant, feast, synthetic, theology, ethical, aesthetic, thesis, doom, tick, deed, dis, atheist, ethic, auditorium, auditor, atheism, demi, deem, thematic, ethos, forfeit, fanatic, 126 more

through Classical Latin spatha ‘straight sword’

spade, espada, 17 more

through Late Latin spatula ‘a broad, flat piece’

spatula, 5 more

through Italian spalla ‘shoulder’

spall

Today it means

noun A latticework used to shape or train the branches of a tree or shrub into a two-dimensional ornamental or useful design, as along a wall or fence.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Hellenic *spátʰā / espalier

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