English
unctuous
Unctuous comes from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus ‘greasy, oily, unctuous’, from Latin ūnctum ‘ointment’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- ‘to smear, to anoint’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃engʷ-‘to smear, to anoint’root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnctum‘ointment’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ūnctuōsus‘greasy, oily, unctuous’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unctuous
- Englishearliest quotation 1610same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃engʷ-‘to smear, to anoint’root as named
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnctum‘ointment’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ūnctuōsus‘greasy, oily, unctuous’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unctuous
- Englishearliest quotation 1610same form
Earliest quotation: 1610, Ben[jamin] Jonson: “It is, of the one part, / A humide…”
The story
From Late Middle English unctuous [and other forms], borrowed from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus (‘greasy, oily, unctuous’), from Latin ūnctum (‘ointment; rich banquet; rich savoury dish’) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly’ forming adjectives from nouns). Ūnctum is a noun use of the perfect passive participle of unguō (‘to anoint; to smear with oil, to grease or oil’), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- (‘to anoint; to smear’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- ‘to smear, to anoint’
Today it means
adj Having the nature or properties of an unguent or ointment; greasy, oily.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃engʷ- / unctuous