Etymograph

English

acclimate

Acclimate comes from French acclimater ‘to acclimatize’, from climat ‘climate’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱley-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱl̥néyti1‘to be leaning, sloped, bent’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*klíňňō1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκλῑ́νω1klī́nō‘to bend’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκλῐ́μᾰ1klĭ́mă‘a slope, incline, inclination’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclima1‘slope, inclination’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600climat1
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentclimat1‘climate’
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentacclimater1‘to acclimatize’
  10. Englishtodayacclimate1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English acclimate

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱley-Wiktionary, English acclimatereconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱl̥néytiWiktionary, English acclimate‘to be leaning, sloped, bent’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*klíňňōWiktionary, English acclimatereconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκλῑ́νωWiktionary, English acclimateklī́nō‘to bend’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκλῐ́μᾰWiktionary, English acclimateklĭ́mă‘a slope, incline, inclination’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclimaWiktionary, English acclimate‘slope, inclination’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600climatWiktionary, English acclimate
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentclimatWiktionary, English acclimate‘climate’
  9. Frenchc. 1600–presentacclimaterWiktionary, English acclimate‘to acclimatize’
  10. EnglishtodayacclimateWiktionary, English acclimate

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-

law, low, lean, decline, ladder, lid, inclination, eyelid, incline, clinician, declension, recline, proclivity, declination, 25 more

through Proto-Hellenic *klíňňō

climax, 9 more

through Ancient Greek κλῑ́νω ‘to bend’

cline, 5 more

Today it means

verb To habituate to a climate not native; to acclimatize.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “acclimate”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- / acclimate

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