English
fillet
Fillet comes from Old French filet, from fil ‘thread’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo- ‘sinew’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-‘sinew’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fī(s)lomreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlum‘thread’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fil‘thread’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400filetdiminutive of fil
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1590fillet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-‘sinew’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fī(s)lomreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlum‘thread’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fil‘thread’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400filetdiminutive of fil
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1590fillet
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I, Canto III: “In secret shadow, farre from all mens sight: From…”
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *fī(s)lom
through Latin fīlum ‘thread’
annihilation, annihilate, filament, nihilism, nihilist, defile, nihil, 43 more
through Old French fil ‘thread’
Today it means
noun A headband; a ribbon or other band used to tie the hair up, or keep a headdress in place, or for decoration.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo- / fillet