Where does “oval” come from?

Oval derives from Late Latin ovalis, formed with the Latin suffix -alis from Proto-Indo-European h₂ōwyóm, ultimately from h₂éwis meaning egg or sheep.

oval (English): An elongated round shape resembling an egg or...

Definitions

  1. An elongated round shape resembling an egg or...

Ancestry of “oval”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late LatinovalisOf or pertaining to an ovation
2Latinōvumegg
3Latin-ātused
4Proto-Italic-ātos—
5Proto-Indo-European-éh₂tosForms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos →Every word from Latin -ātus →Every word from Latin ōvum →