Where does “ultrasubtle” come from?
ultrasubtle (English) comes from English subtle, 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.
ultrasubtle (English): extremely subtle
Definitions
- extremely subtle
Ancestry of “ultrasubtle”, step by step
ultrasubtle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English subtle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | subtle | Hard to grasp; not obvious or easily understood;... |
| 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 |