Etymograph

English

cholesterol

Cholesterol comes from French cholestérine ‘dated form of cholestérol’, from Ancient Greek στερεός ‘firm’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘barren, infertile’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ster-1‘barren, infertile’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστερεός1stereós‘firm’
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentcholestérine1‘dated form of cholestérol’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentcholestérol1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2013cholesterol1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English cholesterol
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, -August, Stents to Prevent Stroke: “As we age, the major arteries of our bodies…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ster-Wiktionary, English cholesterol‘barren, infertile’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστερεόςWiktionary, English cholesterolstereós‘firm’
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentcholestérineWiktionary, English cholesterol‘dated form of cholestérol’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentcholestérolWiktionary, English cholesterol
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2013cholesterolWiktionary, English cholesterol. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, -August, Stents to Prevent Stroke: “As we age, the major arteries of our bodies…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘barren, infertile’

still, start, street, strength, strongly, stronger, straw, stare, strongest, torpedo, starve, stern, throttle, strenuous, sterile, sterility, 17 more

through Ancient Greek στερεός ‘firm’

stereo, 7 more

Today it means

noun A sterol lipid synthesized by the liver and transported in the bloodstream to the membranes of all animal cells; it plays a central role in many biochemical processes and, as a lipoprotein that coats the walls of blood vessels, is associated with cardiovascular disease.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cholesterol”. 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 *ster- / cholesterol

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