Where does “subtleness” come from?
subtleness (English) comes from Middle English sotilnes, from Middle English sotil, from Old French sotil, from Latin subtīlis, from Latin tēla, from Old Dutch tegela, from Proto-Germanic *tigulā, from Proto-Germanic tigulǭ — to cover; pole, stick, beam.
subtleness (English): The property of being subtle, of avoiding brute...
Definitions
- The property of being subtle, of avoiding brute...
Ancestry of “subtleness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sotilnes | The state of being light, airy, and/or fluidic;... |
| 2 | Middle English | sotil | Using brainpower; smart or wise; Low in a... |
| 3 | Old French | sotil | — |
| 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 |