Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “argillaceous” come from?

Argillaceous derives from Latin argillaceus, from Latin argilla, from Ancient Greek ἄργιλλος, ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀργός meaning "white" or "shiny," itself composed of the privative prefix ἀ- and a root of uncertain origin.

argillaceous (English): pertaining to clay; made of, containing, or...

Definitions

  1. pertaining to clay; made of, containing, or...

Ancestry of “argillaceous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinargillaceusof clay, argillaceous, clayey
2Latinargillawhite clay, potter's clay, argil
3Ancient Greekἄργιλλοςwhite clay, potter's clay, argil
4Ancient Greekἀργόςwhite, bright; swift; not working, idle
5Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
6Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
7Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
8Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “argillaceous”

  • calcareoargillaceous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →