English
oval
Oval comes from Late Latin ovalis ‘egg- (relational)’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ōwyóm‘egg’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ōw(j)om‘egg’reconstructed
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEovum‘egg’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEovalis‘egg- (relational)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1901oval
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ōwyóm‘egg’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ōw(j)om‘egg’reconstructed
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEovum‘egg’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEovalis‘egg- (relational)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1901oval
Earliest quotation: 1901, Havelock Ellis, Sexual inversion: “Every congenital abnormality is doubtless due to a peculiarity…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’
audience, ear, audit, acoustic, obey, avid, audible, anesthesia, ovation, aural, otolaryngology, avarice, 66 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwis ‘bird’
aviation, avian, auspicious, aviator, aviary, ocarina, 11 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm ‘egg’
through Late Latin ovum ‘egg’
Today it means
noun A two-dimensional one.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm / oval