Where does “stencil” come from?
Stencil comes from Middle English stencellen, from Middle French estinceller, from Old French estinceler, from Old French estancele, from Latin scintilla meaning a spark, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ski-nto- and sek-.
stencil (English): A thin sheet, either perforated or using some...
Definitions
- A thin sheet, either perforated or using some...
Ancestry of “stencil”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | stencellen | to garnish with bright hues |
| 2 | Middle French | estinceller | to shine; to glisten |
| 3 | Old French | estinceler | to spark |
| 4 | Old French | estencele | a spark |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | stincilla | — |
| 6 | Latin | scintilla | spark; glimmer |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ski-nto- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | skey- | to split, to dissect |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |