Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “subtile” come from?

Subtile comes from Latin subtilis, formed from Latin sub meaning under and a root related to Proto-Indo-European teḱ- meaning to weave or construct.

subtile (English): subtle

Definitions

  1. subtle

Ancestry of “subtile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchsubtilité—
2Latinsubtīlitās—
3Latinsubtīlis—
4Latintēla—
5Old Dutchtegela—
6Proto-Germanic*tigulā—
7Proto-Germanictigulǭtile; brick
8Latintēgula—
9Latintegō—
10Proto-Italictegōcover
11Proto-Indo-European(s)teg-to cover; pole, stick, beam

Words derived from “subtile”

  • subtility
  • subtilely
  • subtileness
  • supersubtile
  • oversubtile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)teg- →