Where does “pillbox” come from?
Pillbox comes from English pill and English box, where pill derives from Latin pila, itself from Ancient Greek βοῦς, with the diminutive suffix -ula ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European bew-.
pillbox (English): A small box in which pills are kept; A flat,...
Definitions
- A small box in which pills are kept; A flat,...
Ancestry of “pillbox”, step by step
pillbox traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English box
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | box | Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or... |
| 2 | French | boxer | boxer; boxer shorts, boxers; to box |
| 3 | French | -er | Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs |
| 4 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 5 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 6 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 7 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 12 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English Pill
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Pill | OS grid ref ST5275 |
| 2 | Welsh | pil | peel, rind |
| 3 | English | Peel | A placename |
| 4 | Old French | piller | Alternative form of pillier; pillage; plunder |
| 5 | Latin | piliō | — |
| 6 | Latin | pilō | to put forth hairs, grow hairy |
| 7 | Latin | pila | mortar; pillar; pier |
| 8 | Latin | pīlus | a hair |
| 9 | Latin | pīlum | a pounder, pestle |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | pistlom | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pis-tlo- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | peys- | to grind, to crush |