English
truffle
Truffle comes from Old Occitan trufa, and goes back to Latin tūber.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtūber
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtufera
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500trufa
- Frenchc. 1600–presenttrufle
- Englishearliest quotation 1961truffle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtūber
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtufera
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500trufa
- Frenchc. 1600–presenttrufle
- Englishearliest quotation 1961truffle
Earliest quotation: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs: “In ancient times, the Romans imported truffles, credited with…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- ‘to swell’
butter, tumor, tomb, tumour, soma, tumultuous, tyrosine, tumult, turgid, trifle, madrasa, 42 more
through Proto-Italic *tūβos
through Latin tūber
Today it means
noun Any of various edible fungi, of the genus Tuber, that grow in the soil in southern Europe; the earthnut.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin tūber / truffle