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
- subtle
Ancestry of “subtile”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | subtilité | — |
| 2 | Latin | subtīlitās | fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness |
| 3 | Latin | subtīlis | fine, thin, slender |
| 4 | Latin | tēla | web |
| 5 | Old Dutch | tegela | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *tigulā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tigulǭ | tile; brick |
| 8 | Latin | tēgula | a large, flat and heavy roof tile used in an overlapping formation with the curved and smaller imbrex |
| 9 | Latin | tegō | to cover; to clothe |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | tegō | cover |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |