Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “pilastre” come from?

pilastre (French) comes from Middle French pilastre, from Italian pilastro, from Italian pila, from Latin pila, from Latin pīlus, from Latin pīlum, from Proto-Italic pistlom, from Proto-Indo-European pis-tlo- — to grind, to crush.

Ancestry of “pilastre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpilastre—
2Italianpilastropillar, column; pilaster; obelisk
3Italianpilapile; battery; torch / flashlight
4Latinpilamortar; pillar; pier
5Latinpīlus—
6Latinpīlum—
7Proto-Italicpistlom—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpis-tlo-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpeys-to grind, to crush
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peys- →