Where does “maculāre” come from?

maculāre (Latin) comes from Latin Macula, from Proto-Indo-European smh₁-tleh₂, from Proto-Indo-European smeh₁- — smear, rub.

Ancestry of “maculāre”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Latin	Macula	—
2	Proto-Indo-European	smh₁-tleh₂	—
3	Proto-Indo-European	smeh₁-	smear, rub

maculāre — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer