Where does “pile” come from?

pile (Middle English) comes from Old English pīl, from Proto-Germanic *pīl, from Latin pīlum, from Proto-Italic pistlom, from Proto-Indo-European pis-tlo-, from Proto-Indo-European peys- — to grind, to crush.

Ancestry of “pile”, step by step

pile traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English pīl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishpīlpointed stick
2Proto-Germanic*pīl—
3Latinpīluma pounder, pestle
4Proto-Italicpistlom—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpis-tlo-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeys-to grind, to crush

via Anglo-Norman pil

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normanpil—
2LatinpilusA hair; An insignificant amount; iota; least...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpil-one string of hair; string of hair; strand of...
4Proto-Algonquian*pi·l-—

via Latin pīlus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpīlusa hair

Words derived from “pile”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peys- →
pile — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer