Where does “pitch-black” come from?
pitch-black (English) comes from English pitch, from Middle English picche, from Old English pīc, from Proto-Germanic *pīk, from Latin pix, from Proto-Indo-European pik-, from Proto-Indo-European pi- — sap, juice.
pitch-black (English): dark; without light
Definitions
- dark; without light
Ancestry of “pitch-black”, step by step
pitch-black traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pitch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pitch | A sticky, gummy substance secreted by trees; sap;... |
| 2 | Middle English | picche | — |
| 3 | Old English | pīc | pointed object, pick axe |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *pīk | — |
| 5 | Latin | pix | pitch, tar |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pik- | to be angry; pitch; resin |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pi- | sap, juice |
via English Black
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Black | Alternative letter-case form of black |
| 2 | Old French | blanc | white |
| 3 | Late Latin | blancus | white |
| 4 | Frankish | blank | bright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |