Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “exfoliate” come from?

exfoliate (English) comes from Latin exfoliō, from Latin folium, from Proto-Italic *foljom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

exfoliate (English): To remove the leaves from a plant; To remove a...

Definitions

  1. To remove the leaves from a plant; To remove a...

Ancestry of “exfoliate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinexfoliō—
2Latinfoliuma leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper
3Proto-Italic*foljom—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰolh₃yomleaf
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “exfoliate”

  • exfoliative
  • exfoliant
  • exfoliator
  • exfoliatin
  • pseudoexfoliative
  • overexfoliate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →