Etymograph

English

sclera

Sclera comes from New Latin sclera, from Ancient Greek σκληρός ‘hard’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- ‘to parch, wither’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kelh₁-‘to parch, wither’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσκληρόςsklērós‘hard’
  3. New Latinc. 1500–1900sclera
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2007same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kelh₁-‘to parch, wither’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσκληρόςsklērós‘hard’
  3. New Latinc. 1500–1900sclera
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2007same form

Earliest quotation: 2007, Junot Diaz: “She'd been back a week and it was clear…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- ‘to parch, wither’

shallow, skeleton, shoal, 6 more

Today it means

noun The white of the eye; the tough outer coat of the eye that covers the eyeball except for the cornea.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelh₁- / sclera

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