Etymograph

English

chiffon

Chiffon comes from French chiffon ‘rag’, from Middle English chip ‘chip, shard, fragment’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵey- ‘to split’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵey-1‘to split’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kipp-1‘to chop’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kippōn1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ċipp2‘chip, splinter, shaving’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chip2‘chip, shard, fragment’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chipe2‘rag’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600chiffe2‘cloth, old rag’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentchiffon2‘rag’
  9. Englishtodaychiffon2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English cipp
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English chiffon

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵey-Wiktionary, Old English cipp‘to split’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kipp-Wiktionary, Old English cipp‘to chop’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kippōnWiktionary, Old English cippreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ċippWiktionary, English chiffon‘chip, splinter, shaving’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chipWiktionary, English chiffon‘chip, shard, fragment’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chipeWiktionary, English chiffon‘rag’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600chiffeWiktionary, English chiffon‘cloth, old rag’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentchiffonWiktionary, English chiffon‘rag’
  9. EnglishtodaychiffonWiktionary, English chiffon

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵey- ‘to split’

chine, 1 more

through Middle English chip ‘chip, shard, fragment’

ship, chip

Today it means

noun A lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, like gossamer, woven of alternate S- and Z-twist crepe (high-twist) yarns made of silk, polyester, or cotton.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chiffon”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English cipp. 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 *ǵey- / chiffon

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