Etymograph

English

pestle

Pestle comes from Old French pestel, from Latin pistillum ‘a pestle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peys- ‘to crush’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peys-‘to crush’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pinéstireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pinsōreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpīnsō‘pound, beat’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpistillum‘a pestle’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400pestel
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a pestle’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1611pestle

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peys-‘to crush’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pinéstireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pinsōreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpīnsō‘pound, beat’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpistillum‘a pestle’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400pestel
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a pestle’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1611pestle

Earliest quotation: 1611, George Chapman, May-Day. A Witty Comedie: “I long to meet a Sergeant in this humor,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peys- ‘to crush’

pile, pila, 5 more

through Latin pīnsō ‘pound, beat’

piston, piste, pesto, 1 more

Today it means

noun A club-shaped, round-headed stick used in a mortar to pound, crush, rub or grind things.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peys- / pestle

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