Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “organelle” come from?

Organelle comes from French -elle, from Old French -ele, from Latin -ella, a diminutive suffix derived from Proto-Indo-European werǵ-, meaning to work or turn.

organelle (English): A specialized structure found inside cells that...

Definitions

  1. A specialized structure found inside cells that...

Ancestry of “organelle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-elleUsed to form feminine proper names
2French-elleForming feminine nouns, often with a diminutive...
3Old French-elediminutive suffix, forming feminine nouns
4Latin-ellainflection of -ellus: ## nominative/vocative...
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos—
8Proto-Italic-elos—
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “organelle”

  • organellar
  • suborganellar
  • suborganelle
  • intraorganellar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →