English
subculture
Subculture comes from Middle French culture, from Latin cultūra ‘care, cultivation’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- ‘to turn’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷelh₁-‘to turn’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷélh₁etireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷelō‘to inhabit’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolō‘to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcultūra‘care, cultivation’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600culture
- English1500–presentculture
- Englishearliest quotation 1974subculture
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷelh₁-‘to turn’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷélh₁etireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷelō‘to inhabit’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolō‘to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcultūra‘care, cultivation’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600culture
- English1500–presentculture
- Englishearliest quotation 1974subculture
Earliest quotation: 1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler: “Like those activities, bodybuilding is an obsession, a living…”
Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’
Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’
Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’
English sub-
Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- ‘to turn’
…
Latin colō ‘to till, cultivate’
Latin cultus ‘tilled, cultivated’
Latin cultūra ‘cultivation’
Middle French culture ‘cultivation; culture’
English culture
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *kʷelō ‘to inhabit’
cultivation, cultivate, 65 more
through Latin colō ‘to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care…’
through Latin cultūra ‘care, cultivation’
through English culture
Today it means
noun A portion of a culture distinguished by its customs or other features, often in contrast to the larger mainstream culture.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- / subculture