Where does “ancillary” come from?
Ancillary comes from Latin ancillaris, derived from ancilla, which traces back through Latin ancula and anculus to Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰikʷolós, ultimately from the root kʷel-.
ancillary (English): Subordinate; secondary; auxiliary; Something that...
Definitions
- Subordinate; secondary; auxiliary; Something that...
Ancestry of “ancillary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | ancillāris | — |
| 2 | Latin | ancilla | maid, slave-girl |
| 3 | Latin | ancula | maidservant |
| 4 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
Words derived from “ancillary”