Where does “file” come from?
file (Dutch) comes from English filé, from French filé, from French filer, from Latin fīlāre, from Latin fīlum, from Proto-Italic fī(s)lom, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-.
file (Dutch): traffic jam; queue; file
Definitions
- traffic jam; queue; file
Ancestry of “file”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | filé | A spicy herb made from the dried and ground... |
| 2 | French | filé | past participle of filer; simple or twisted... |
| 3 | French | filer | to spin; to thread through; to spin a thread |
| 4 | Latin | fīlāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | fīlum | thread, string, filament, fiber |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | fī(s)lom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰiH-(s-)lo- | — |