Where does “subtilty” come from?
Subtilty comes from Middle English sotilte, from Old French sutilté, from Latin subtilitas, derived from Latin subtilis, which combines Latin sub with Proto-Indo-European upo, both meaning under.
subtilty (English): Archaic spelling of subtlety
Definitions
- Archaic spelling of subtlety
Ancestry of “subtilty”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | subtlety | The quality of being subtle; An instance of being... |
| 2 | Middle English | sotilte | Mental power or ability; smartness or cleverness;... |
| 3 | Old French | sutilté | — |
| 4 | Latin | subtīlitās | fineness, thinness, slenderness, minuteness |
| 5 | Latin | subtīlis | fine, thin, slender |
| 6 | Latin | tēla | web |
| 7 | Old Dutch | tegela | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *tigulā | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | tigulǭ | tile; brick |
| 10 | Latin | tēgula | a large, flat and heavy roof tile used in an overlapping formation with the curved and smaller imbrex |
| 11 | Latin | tegō | to cover; to clothe |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | tegō | cover |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |