Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “soffit” come from?

Soffit comes from French soffite, from Italian soffitto, derived from Latin sub- and figere, meaning to fix or fasten underneath.

soffit (English): The visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam,...

Definitions

  1. The visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam,...

Ancestry of “soffit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchsoffitesoffit
2Italiansoffittoceiling; soffit; roof
3Vulgar Latinsuffictus—
4LatinsuffigoI fasten or fix onto
5Latinsubunder, beneath; behind; at the feet of
6Proto-Italicsupo—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →