Where does “vestigial” come from?
Vestigial derives from Latin vestigium (footprint, trace) via the suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- (to turn), suggesting a sense of something swept or turned underfoot.
vestigial (English): Of or pertaining to a vestige or remnant; like a...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to a vestige or remnant; like a...
Ancestry of “vestigial”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | vestigium | footprint, track; trace, vestige, mark; sole of... |
| 2 | Latin | vē- | — |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | *djous | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | dyḗws | sky, heaven; sky god |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dyéws | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dyew- | to be bright; sky, heaven |
Words derived from “vestigial”