Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pilifer” come from?

pilifer (English) comes from English pilo-, from Catalan pila, from Latin pila, from Latin pīlus, from Latin pīlum, from Proto-Italic pistlom, from Proto-Indo-European pis-tlo-, from Proto-Indo-European peys- — to grind, to crush.

pilifer (English): A bristly structure forming part of a hearing...

Definitions

  1. A bristly structure forming part of a hearing...

Ancestry of “pilifer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishpilo-hair
2Catalanpilapile, heap; bunch, load; battery
3Latinpilamortar; pillar; pier
4Latinpīlus—
5Latinpīlum—
6Proto-Italicpistlom—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpis-tlo-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpeys-to grind, to crush
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peys- →