Where does “ancilla” come from?

ancilla (English) comes from Latin ancilla, from Latin ancula, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

ancilla (English): A maid; An auxiliary or accessory

Definitions

  1. A maid; An auxiliary or accessory

Ancestry of “ancilla”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinancillamaid, slave-girl
2Latinanculamaidservant
3Latin-lusAlternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix
4Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
5Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
6Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →Every word from Latin -lus →Every word from Latin ancula →
ancilla — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer