Etymograph

English

glyph

Glyph comes from Ancient Greek γλυφή ‘carving’, from γλύφω ‘I carve, engrave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*glewbʰ-‘to split, carve’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*glúbʰetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*glúpʰōreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγλύφωglúphō‘I carve, engrave’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEγλυφήgluphḗ‘carving’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentglyphe
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1915glyph

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*glewbʰ-‘to split, carve’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*glúbʰetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*glúpʰōreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγλύφωglúphō‘I carve, engrave’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEγλυφήgluphḗ‘carving’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentglyphe
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1915glyph

Earliest quotation: 1915, Sylvanus Griswold Morley, An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs: “human figures carved on the obverse and the reverse,…”

first attested First attested in 1727 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested in 1727.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- ‘to split, carve’

clive, cleft, clapper, clove, cleave, cleve, 12 more

Today it means

noun A figure carved in relief or incised, especially representing a sound, word, or idea.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- / glyph

Shirt and support for this word