Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pink ceiling” come from?

pink ceiling (English) comes from English glass ceiling, from English glass, from Scottish Gaelic glas, from Middle Irish glas, from Old Irish glas, from Proto-Celtic glastos, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰl̥h₃stós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

pink ceiling (English): An informal barrier to promotion or advancement,...

Definitions

  1. An informal barrier to promotion or advancement,...

Ancestry of “pink ceiling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishglass ceilingAn unwritten, uncodified barrier to further...
2EnglishglassAn amorphous solid, often transparent substance...
3Scottish Gaelicglasgreen; grey; lock
4Middle Irishglas—
5Old Irishglasgreen, greenish; blue, green-blue, grey-blue; the...
6Proto-Celticglastosgreen, blue
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰl̥h₃stós—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →