English
hyle
Hyle comes from Medieval Latin hyle ‘matter, the fundamental matter of all things,…’, and goes back to Ancient Greek ὕλη.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὕληhúlē‘wood, matter’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500hyle‘matter, the fundamental matter of all things, as opposing the form of all things’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὕληhúlē‘wood, matter’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500hyle‘matter, the fundamental matter of all things, as opposing the form of all things’
- Englishtodaysame form
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *swel- ‘firewood, wood, beam’
swell, swollen, methyl, ethane, swill, ethyl, isopropyl, phenyl, swole, 33 more
Today it means
noun Synonym of matter, physical substance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ὕλη / hyle