Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tonsil” come from?

Tonsil comes from Latin tonsillae, from Proto-Italic tonslis, from Proto-Indo-European ten-, a root of uncertain meaning.

tonsil (English): Either of a pair of small masses of lymphoid...

Definitions

  1. Either of a pair of small masses of lymphoid...

Ancestry of “tonsil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintonsillaetonsils
2Proto-Italic*tonslilā—
3Proto-Italictonslis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

Words derived from “tonsil”

  • tonsillitis
  • tonsillar
  • tonsillectomy
  • peritonsillar
  • adenotonsillectomy
  • adenotonsillar
  • tonsillotomy
  • pharyngotonsillitis
  • adenotonsillitis
  • tonsillolith
  • tonsillitic
  • tonsilotome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →