English
spatula
Spatula comes from Latin spatula ‘a flat piece’, from Ancient Greek σπάθη ‘a broad wood or metal blade’, and ultimately from Proto-Hellenic *spátʰā.
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*spátʰā‘blade’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσπάθηspáthē‘a broad wood or metal blade’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatha‘broad or flat tool’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatula‘a flat piece’diminutive form of spatha
- Englishearliest quotation 1963same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*spátʰā‘blade’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσπάθηspáthē‘a broad wood or metal blade’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatha‘broad or flat tool’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatula‘a flat piece’diminutive form of spatha
- Englishearliest quotation 1963same form
Earliest quotation: 1963, Ian Fleming: “The croupier delicately faced her other two cards with…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, fair, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, mid, theme, defence, custom, feature, ethnic, sufficient, treasury, treasure, ethical, thesis, aesthetic, defendant, feast, synthetic, theology, doom, tick, deed, dis, ethic, auditorium, auditor, atheist, demi, deem, ethos, forfeit, feral, atheism, familial, 127 more
through Latin spatha ‘broad or flat tool’
through Latin spatula ‘a flat piece’
Today it means
noun A kitchen utensil consisting of a flat surface attached to a long handle, used for turning, lifting, or stirring food.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Hellenic *spátʰā / spatula