Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oilskin” come from?

Oilskin comes from English oil and Middle English skinn, combining Old French oile and Latin oleum, referring to fabric treated with oil for waterproofing.

oilskin (English): Cloth made from cotton and treated with oil and...

Definitions

  1. Cloth made from cotton and treated with oil and...

Ancestry of “oilskin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoilLiquid fat; Petroleum-based liquid used as fuel...
2Middle EnglishoyleThe oil pressed from olives; olive oil; Oil as...
3Old Frenchoileoil
4Latinoleumolive oil; the palaestra
5Ancient Greekἔλαιονolive oil, commonly used as an anointing oil; any...
6Ancient Greekἐλαίαolive tree; olive; naevus
7Proto-Hellenicelaíwā—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanloiwom—

Words derived from “oilskin”

  • oilskinned
  • oilisgin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European loiwom →