English
gel
Gel comes from Italian gelatina ‘gelatin’, from gelare ‘to freeze, to chill, to frost’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gel- ‘cold’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gel-‘cold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelū‘frost’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelāre
- Italianc. 1300–presentgelare‘to freeze, to chill, to frost’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentgelatina‘gelatin’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgélatine
- English1500–presentgelatin
- Englishearliest quotation 2013gel
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gel-‘cold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelū‘frost’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelāre
- Italianc. 1300–presentgelare‘to freeze, to chill, to frost’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentgelatina‘gelatin’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgélatine
- English1500–presentgelatin
- Englishearliest quotation 2013gel
Earliest quotation: 2013, -June, Alzheimer’s Disease: “Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial…”
The story
Coined by Thomas Graham in the mid 19th century as a clipping of gelatin, from French gélatine, from Italian gelatina, diminutive form of gelata (‘iced’), from Latin gelata, past participle of gelo (‘to freeze’), from gelu (‘frost’), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (‘cold’). For the meaning development compare with Russian сту́день (stúdenʹ, “aspic, jelly, gel”) related to студёный (studjónyj, “cold”).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gel- ‘cold’
children, child, cold, clean, cloud, globe, chill, cluster, colt, clout, clot, clough, glebe, ganglion, clod, globus, klutz, globulin, 48 more
through Latin gelū ‘frost’
through French gélatine
Today it means
noun A semi-solid to almost solid colloid of a solid and a liquid, such as jelly, cheese or opal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gel- / gel