English
oiler
Oiler comes from Middle English oyler ‘a person who is employed manufacturing or…’, from oyle ‘Olive oil’, and ultimately from Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon.
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*élaiwonreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔλαιον‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoleum‘olive oil’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oile‘oil’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500oyle‘Olive oil’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500oyler‘a person who is employed manufacturing or retailing oils’
- Englishearliest quotation 1907oiler
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*élaiwonreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔλαιον‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEoleum‘olive oil’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400oile‘oil’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500oyle‘Olive oil’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500oyler‘a person who is employed manufacturing or retailing oils’
- Englishearliest quotation 1907oiler
Earliest quotation: 1907, Stewart Edward White: “There were a lot of renegades down towards the…”
Formed from oil + -er
Ancient Greek ἐλαία ‘olive’
Ancient Greek ἔλαιον ‘olive oil’
Latin oleum ‘oil, olive oil’
Old French oile
Middle English oyle ‘olive oil’
English oil
Linked words
through Ancient Greek ἔλαιον ‘olive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil’
through Latin oleum ‘olive oil’
through Middle English oyle ‘Olive oil’
Today it means
noun An assistant in the engine room of a ship, senior only to a wiper, mainly responsible for keeping machinery lubricated.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Hellenic *élaiwon / oiler