Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “pointille” come from?

pointille (French) comes from Italian puntiglio, from Spanish puntillo, from Spanish -illo, from Old Spanish -iello, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

pointille (French): dotted line; perforation; stippling

Definitions

  1. dotted line; perforation; stippling

Ancestry of “pointille”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianpuntiglioobstinacy
2SpanishpuntilloDiminutive of punto; self-love; staccato dot
3Spanish-illoAdded to masculine nouns to denote a diminutive...
4Old Spanish-ielloA diminutive suffix
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos—
8Proto-Italic-elos—
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “pointille”

  • pointillé
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →