Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Pill” come from?

Pill is not directly etymologized from the provided chain; the chain traces pull (Middle English pullen, Old English pullian) through Welsh pwl, but Pill's origin remains unknown.

Ancestry of “Pill”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Welshpil—
2EnglishPeel—
3Old FrenchpillerAlternative form of pillier; pillage; plunder
4Latinpiliō—
5Latinpilō—
6Latinpilamortar; pillar; pier
7Latinpīlus—
8Latinpīlum—
9Proto-Italicpistlom—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpis-tlo-—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpeys-to grind, to crush
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peys- →