Where does “pith” come from?
I appreciate the challenge, but I need to flag a critical issue with this chain: it doesn't coherently support the word "pith." The chain shows: - English pi - Ancient Greek πεῖ (pei) - Proto-Germanic -iþō - Proto-Indo-European -ti/-tós This appears to be a suffix chain (note the hyphens in Proto-Germanic and PIE), not a word etymology. "Pith" as a noun (meaning the soft tissue in plant stems, or figuratively, the essential part) has a completely different origin—it comes from Old English piþa/pyþa, from Proto-Germanic *piþōn, not from a Greek suffix. **I cannot write an accurate one-sentence summary from this chain because the chain itself doesn't support the headword "pith."** Could you verify: 1. Is this the correct
pith (English): The soft, spongy substance in the center of the...
Definitions
- The soft, spongy substance in the center of the...
Ancestry of “pith”, step by step
pith traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English helmet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | helmet | A protective head covering, usually part of... |
| 2 | Middle English | helmet | A helmet; an armoured piece of headgear |
| 3 | Old French | helmet | — |
| 4 | Old French | helme | helmet |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | helmus | helmet |
| 6 | Frankish | helm | helmet |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |