Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spleen” come from?

Spleen comes from Middle English splene, from Latin splen, from Ancient Greek σπλήν, ultimately derived from the Ancient Greek root σπλαχ-.

spleen (English): In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless...

Definitions

  1. In vertebrates, including humans, a ductless...

Ancestry of “spleen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsplene—
2Old Frenchesplein—
3Latinsplēn—
4Ancient Greekσπλήνmilt, spleen
5Ancient Greekσπληχ-—

Words derived from “spleen”

  • splenetic
  • spleenwort
  • spleenful
  • spleeny
  • splenetically
  • spleenish
  • spleenfully
  • spleened
  • unspleened
  • antisplenetic
  • spleenlike
  • spleen
  • splin
Every word from Ancient Greek σπληχ- →