Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “encyclopædial” come from?

encyclopædial (English) comes from English encyclopædia, from New Latin encyclopaedia, from Ancient Greek παιδείᾱ, from Ancient Greek παῖς, from Proto-Hellenic pā́wits, from Proto-Indo-European péh₂wids, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- — few, little; smallness.

encyclopædial (English): Rare form of encyclopedial

Definitions

  1. Rare form of encyclopedial

Ancestry of “encyclopædial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishencyclopædiaArchaic spelling of encyclopedia
2New Latinencyclopaediageneral education; encyclopedia
3Ancient Greekπαιδείᾱrearing of a child, education; child-rearing,...
4Ancient Greekπαῖςchild, son, daughter; young person, child, boy,...
5Proto-Hellenicpā́witschild
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpéh₂wids—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂w-few, little; smallness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- →