English
soffit
Soffit comes from Italian soffitto ‘ceiling’, from Latin suffīgō ‘to fasten or fix onto’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- ‘to plant’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeygʷ-‘to plant’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feigʷō‘to fasten’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīvō‘Old Latin form of fīgō (“to fasten”)’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīgō‘to fasten, fix’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuffīgō‘to fasten or fix onto’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*suffīctusreconstructedperfect passive participle of suffīgō
- Italianc. 1300–presentsoffitto‘ceiling’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsoffite
- Englishearliest quotation 1954soffit
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeygʷ-‘to plant’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feigʷō‘to fasten’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīvō‘Old Latin form of fīgō (“to fasten”)’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīgō‘to fasten, fix’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuffīgō‘to fasten or fix onto’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*suffīctusreconstructedperfect passive participle of suffīgō
- Italianc. 1300–presentsoffitto‘ceiling’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsoffite
- Englishearliest quotation 1954soffit
Earliest quotation: 1954, Strengthening of Coquet Viaduct: “From 1945 onwards, deterioration in the condition of the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- ‘to plant’
final, fine, finish, definition, dig, infinite, ditch, infinity, dyke, fin, finite, dike, financier, infinitive, fino, finis, finial, 22 more
through Latin fīvō ‘Old Latin form of fīgō (“to fasten”)’
through Latin fīgō ‘to fasten, fix’
Today it means
noun The visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, staircase, vault or any other architectural element.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- / soffit