Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pigment” come from?

Pigment comes from Middle English pigment, from Latin pigmentum, derived from the Latin suffix -mentum (from -menta) and the Proto-Indo-European root peh₂ǵ- meaning to fix or fasten.

pigment (English): Any color in plant or animal cells; A dry...

Definitions

  1. Any color in plant or animal cells; A dry...

Ancestry of “pigment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishpigmentA spice or a blend of them; A red pigment
2LatinpigmentumA material for coloring; color, paint, pigment,...
3Latin-mentuminstrument, medium, or result of; e.g....
4Latin-mentanominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural...
5Proto-Indo-European-mn̥Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs

Words derived from “pigment”

  • pigmentation
  • hyperpigmentation
  • pigmentary
  • hypopigmentation
  • depigmentation
  • photopigment
  • repigmentation
  • pigmentocracy
  • pigmental
  • depigment
  • phytopigment
  • micropigmentation
  • phaeopigment
  • pigmentational
  • pigmentous
  • overpigmentation
  • pigmentlike
  • pigmentate
  • underpigmentation
  • interpigment
  • dermapigmentation
  • pigmentationally
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ →