Where does “subtility” come from?
subtility (English) comes from English subtile, from Middle French subtilité, from Latin subtīlitās, from Latin subtīlis, from Latin tēla, from Old Dutch tegela, from Proto-Germanic *tigulā, from Proto-Germanic tigulǭ — to cover; pole, stick, beam.
subtility (English): Cunning, craftiness; A cunning scheme; a trick, a...
Definitions
- Cunning, craftiness; A cunning scheme; a trick, a...
Ancestry of “subtility”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | subtile | subtle |
| 2 | Middle French | subtilité | — |
| 3 | Latin | subtīlitās | fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness |
| 4 | Latin | subtīlis | fine, thin, slender |
| 5 | Latin | tēla | web |
| 6 | Old Dutch | tegela | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *tigulā | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | tigulǭ | tile; brick |
| 9 | Latin | tēgula | a large, flat and heavy roof tile used in an overlapping formation with the curved and smaller imbrex |
| 10 | Latin | tegō | to cover; to clothe |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | tegō | cover |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |