Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gloss-” come from?

gloss- (English) comes from Ancient Greek γλῶσσα, from Old Norse glotta, from Proto-Germanic glutōną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰel- — to shine, glimmer, glow; to shimmer, gleam;...

gloss- (English): tongue; speech, language

Definitions

  1. tongue; speech, language

Ancestry of “gloss-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekγλῶσσαa tongue; a language; the mouthpiece of a pipe
2Old Norseglottato grin, smile scornfully
3Proto-GermanicglutōnąTo stare; gawk
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰel-to shine, glimmer, glow; to shimmer, gleam;...

Words derived from “gloss-”

  • glossectomy
  • hemiglossectomy
  • glosseme
  • glossanthrax
  • glott-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰel- →