Etymograph

English

occultation

Occultation comes from Latin occultātiō ‘concealment’, from occulō ‘to hide, cover’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱel-‘to cover’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱéleti‘to be covering, hiding’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*celō‘to hide’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEocculō‘to hide, cover’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultō‘to conceal, hide’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultārepresent active infinitive of occultō
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultātiō‘concealment’
  8. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultātiōnemaccusative singular of occultātiō
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1670occultation

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱel-‘to cover’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱéleti‘to be covering, hiding’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*celō‘to hide’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEocculō‘to hide, cover’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultō‘to conceal, hide’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultārepresent active infinitive of occultō
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultātiō‘concealment’
  8. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoccultātiōnemaccusative singular of occultātiō
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1670occultation

Earliest quotation: 1670, John Flamstead [i.e., John Flamsteed]: “[T]he diſtance of any place within this kingdom from…”

Formed from occult + -ation

Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- ‘to cover’

Proto-Indo-European *ḱéleti ‘to be covering, hiding’

Latin *celo ‘to hide, cover, keep a secret, conceal’

Latin occulō ‘to cover, hide, conceal’

Latin occultus ‘hidden, secret’

English occult

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- ‘to cover’

hell, color, cell, hall, holder, helmet, hollow, hull, halt, helm, holden, uphold, conceal, clandestine, sari, sala, cilia, recline, tricolour, haugh, seel, declension, halberd, hele, declination, 37 more

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱéleti ‘to be covering, hiding’

hole, holing, 1 more

through Latin *celō ‘to hide’

ceiling, 1 more

Today it means

noun An astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object is hidden by another celestial object that passes between it and the observer when the nearer object appears larger and completely hides the more distant object.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- / occultation

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