Etymograph

English

pastel

Pastel comes from Latin pastellum ‘dough, paste’, from pastellus ‘a seal made of wax’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek πάσσω ‘to sprinkle’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάσσωpássō‘to sprinkle’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαστόςpastós‘sprinkled with salt, salted’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαστάpastá
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpasta‘dough, paste’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpastellus‘a seal made of wax’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpastellum‘dough, paste’
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentpastello
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentpastel
  9. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάσσωpássō‘to sprinkle’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαστόςpastós‘sprinkled with salt, salted’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαστάpastá
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpasta‘dough, paste’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpastellus‘a seal made of wax’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpastellum‘dough, paste’
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentpastello
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentpastel
  9. Englishtodaysame form

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti

concussion, cashier, quash, repercussion, fracas, zouk, casco, casse, 29 more

through Ancient Greek παστά

pasta, 15 more

through Latin pasta ‘dough, paste’

patisserie, pastiche, 14 more

Another origin of pastel

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kuh₁t-yé-tiuncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάσσωpássō‘to sprinkle’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαστόςpastós‘sprinkled with salt, salted’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπαστάpastá
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpasta‘paste’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpastellus‘a seal made of wax’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpastellum
  8. Italianc. 1300–presentpastello
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400pastel
  10. Spanishc. 1500–presentsame form‘pastry’
  11. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

noun Any of several subdued tints of colors, usually associated with pink, peach, yellow, green, blue, and lavender.

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

Etymograph / Ancient Greek πάσσω / pastel

Shirt and support for this word