Etymograph

English

oriole

Oriole comes from Old French oriol, from Latin aureolus ‘made of gold, golden’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- ‘to become light’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ews-‘to become light’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*auzom‘gold’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaurum‘gold’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaureus‘golden’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaureolus‘made of gold, golden’diminutive of aureus
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400oriol
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600oriol
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2019oriole

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ews-‘to become light’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*auzom‘gold’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaurum‘gold’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaureus‘golden’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaureolus‘made of gold, golden’diminutive of aureus
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400oriol
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600oriol
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2019oriole

Earliest quotation: 2019, Emily Holden, Two-thirds of bird species in North America could vanish in : “Those at risk include the wood thrush, a well-known…”

The story

First use appears c. 1776 in the writings of Thomas Pennant.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- ‘to become light’

air, east, plane, exhaust, aerial, aura, aurora, malaria, aero, aria, austral, 63 more

through Latin aurum ‘gold’

or, aurum, 20 more

through Latin aureus ‘golden’

aureus, aurelia, 7 more

through Old French oriol

oriel

Today it means

noun Any of various colourful passerine birds, New World orioles of the genus Icterus (family Icteridae) and Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- / oriole

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