Etymograph

English

etiolate

Etiolate comes from French étioler ‘to etiolate’, from Old French estuble ‘stubble’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steyp- ‘be stiff, erect’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steyp-‘be stiff, erect’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*stips‘stalk’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*stipelā‘straw’reconstructeddiminutive form of *stips
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstipula‘straw, stubble’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEstupla
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estuble‘stubble’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentétieuler
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentétioler‘to etiolate’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1980etiolate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steyp-‘be stiff, erect’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*stips‘stalk’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*stipelā‘straw’reconstructeddiminutive form of *stips
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstipula‘straw, stubble’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEstupla
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estuble‘stubble’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentétieuler
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentétioler‘to etiolate’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1980etiolate

Earliest quotation: 1980, Anthony Burgess: “She was a very lovely woman in her late…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *steyp- ‘be stiff, erect’

stiff, stipend, 6 more

through Proto-Italic *stipelā ‘straw’

stipulation, stipulate, 4 more

through Latin stipula ‘straw, stubble’

stubble, 4 more

Today it means

verb To make pale through lack of light, especially of a plant.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *steyp- / etiolate

Shirt and support for this word