Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “cyst” come from?

cyst (Middle English) comes from Middle English cheste, from Old English ċest, from Proto-West Germanic *kistu, from Latin cista, from Ancient Greek κύστις, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- — to cover, bedeck; cover.

cyst (Middle English): Alternative form of cheste

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of cheste

Ancestry of “cyst”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishchesteA large container; a chest or footlocker; A safe,...
2Old Englishċest—
3Proto-West Germanic*kistu—
4Latincistaa trunk, a chest, a casket; vocative singular of...
5Ancient Greekκύστιςbladder
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kewH-to cover, bedeck; cover
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- →