Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “puerile” come from?

Puerile comes from Latin puerilis, formed from Latin puerī (boy) and the Latin suffix -ilis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ph₂weros and the suffix -lós.

puerile (English): Childish; trifling; silly; Characteristic of, or...

Definitions

  1. Childish; trifling; silly; Characteristic of, or...

Ancestry of “puerile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpuerīlis—
2Latin-ilis-ile
3Proto-Italic-elis—
4Proto-Indo-European-elis—
5Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “puerile”

  • puerility
  • puerilely
  • puerilism
  • puerileness
  • puerala
  • pueratra
  • puerino
  • puero
  • puerulo
  • puereto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →