Etymograph

English

filament

Filament comes from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō ‘to spin, draw out in a long line’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fī(s)lomreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlum‘thread’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfīlō‘to spin, draw out in a long line’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fīlāmentum
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1979filament

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fī(s)lomreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlum‘thread’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfīlō‘to spin, draw out in a long line’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fīlāmentum
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1979filament

Earliest quotation: 1979, Graham Burtenshaw, O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1: “Lighting was unimaginative for the standard stock with naked…”

Linked words

through Latin fīlum ‘thread’

file, annihilation, annihilate, fillet, nihilism, nihilist, nihil, 43 more

through Late Latin fīlō ‘to spin, draw out in a long line’

defile

Today it means

noun A fine thread or wire.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo- / filament

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