Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “filial” come from?

filial (Middle English) comes from Latin filialis, from Latin filia, from Latin filius, from Old Latin filios, from Proto-Italic feiljos, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁ylios, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)- — to suckle, nurse.

Ancestry of “filial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinfilialisFilial; of or pertaining to a son or daughter
2Latinfiliadaughter; any female offspring
3Latinfiliusa son; any male descendant; children
4Old Latinfiliosson; accusative plural of fīlius
5Proto-Italicfeiljosson
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁yliossucker
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁(y)-to suckle, nurse

Words derived from “filial”

  • filial
  • unfilial
  • filially
  • filiopietistic
  • unfilially
  • filialness
  • unfilialness
  • nonfilial
  • filioparental
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)- →