Etymograph

English

alias

Alias comes from Latin alias ‘at another time’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1root named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalias1‘at another time’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1834alias1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English alias
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “Hitherto the commanding influence of Sir Robert Evelyn's character…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, English aliasroot named by Wiktionary
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaliasWiktionary, English alias‘at another time’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1834aliasWiktionary, English alias. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “Hitherto the commanding influence of Sir Robert Evelyn's character…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

as, all, old, else, adult, el, ultimate, element, ultra, elder, ellen, alternate, outrage, ou, alter, altitude, alien, alumni, adolescent, qualification, altar, alt, alpine, abolish, alto, auld, alum, ulterior, proletariat, altruism, alp, parallax, alimony, alibi, retaliate, coalesce, aad, eld, foetal, exalt, 66 more

Today it means

adv Otherwise; at another time; in other circumstances; otherwise called; also known as; formerly known as.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “alias”. 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 *h₂el- / alias

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