Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “topical” come from?

Topical derives from English aldehyde via Ancient Greek τοπικός, meaning "of or pertaining to a place," from Ancient Greek τόπος, meaning "place."

topical (English): Relating to a particular topic or subject;...

Definitions

  1. Relating to a particular topic or subject;...

Ancestry of “topical”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ál—
2EnglishaldehydeAny of a large class of reactive organic...
3GermanAldehydaldehyde
4Latinalcoholkohl, collyrium, stibium; any other powder...
5Andalusian Arabicكُحُول—
6Arabicكحلantimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the...
7Arabicكُحْلantimony; kohl, stibnite
8Akkadianguḫlum—

Words derived from “topical”

  • topically
  • topicality
  • topicalisation
  • nontopical
  • topicalize
  • ototopical
  • untopical
  • retinotopical
  • subtopical
Every word from Akkadian guḫlum →