Where does “shapefile” come from?

shapefile (English) comes from English filé, from French filé, from French filer, from Latin fīlāre, from Latin fīlum, from Proto-Italic fī(s)lom, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-.

shapefile (English): A computer file in the Shapefile format, used in...

Definitions

  1. A computer file in the Shapefile format, used in...

Ancestry of “shapefile”, step by step

shapefile traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English filé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfiléA spicy herb made from the dried and ground...
2Frenchfilépast participle of filer; simple or twisted...
3Frenchfilerto spin; to thread through; to spin a thread
4Latinfīlāre
5Latinfīlumthread, string, filament, fiber
6Proto-Italicfī(s)lom
7Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷʰiH-(s-)lo-

via English shape

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshapeThe status or condition of something; Condition...
2English-edUsed to form past tenses of verbs. In...
3Middle English-edAlternative form of -hede
4Old English-edformed into the likeness of, made into, shaped...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-