Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “oversubtlety” come from?

oversubtlety (English) comes from English subtlety, from Middle English sotilte, from Old French sutilté, from Latin subtīlitās, from Latin subtīlis, from Latin tēla, from Old Dutch tegela, from Proto-Germanic *tigulā — to cover; pole, stick, beam.

oversubtlety (English): Excessive subtlety

Definitions

  1. Excessive subtlety

Ancestry of “oversubtlety”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsubtletyThe quality of being subtle; An instance of being...
2Middle EnglishsotilteMental power or ability; smartness or cleverness;...
3Old Frenchsutilté—
4Latinsubtīlitās—
5Latinsubtīlis—
6Latintēla—
7Old Dutchtegela—
8Proto-Germanic*tigulā—
9Proto-Germanictigulǭtile; brick
10Latintēgula—
11Latintegō—
12Proto-Italictegōcover
13Proto-Indo-European(s)teg-to cover; pole, stick, beam
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)teg- →