Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cortex” come from?

Cortex comes from Latin cortex, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek-, meaning to cut or separate.

cortex (English): The outer layer of an internal organ or body...

Definitions

  1. The outer layer of an internal organ or body...

Ancestry of “cortex”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincorticeusof bark or cork; made from bark
2Latin-eusargentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →...
3Ancient Greek-εῖοςForms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"...
4Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
5Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “cortex”

  • neocortex
  • subcortex
  • isocortex
  • archicortex
  • paracortex
  • paleocortex
  • allocortex
  • koniocortex
  • cerebrocortex
  • juxtallocortex
  • exocortex
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →