English
corpuscle
Corpuscle comes from Latin corpusculum ‘a particle, especially an atom’, from corpus ‘body’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krépos.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krépos1‘body’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korpos1‘body’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpus2‘body’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpusculum2‘a particle, especially an atom’diminutive of corpus
- Englishearliest quotation 1730corpuscle2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin corpus
- 2 Wiktionary, English corpuscle
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1730, Isaac Newton, The Second Book of Opticks, Part III, Proposition V: “[b]y mixing divers Liquors, very odd and remarkable Productions…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kréposWiktionary, Latin corpus‘body’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korposWiktionary, Latin corpus‘body’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpusWiktionary, English corpuscle‘body’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpusculumWiktionary, English corpuscle‘a particle, especially an atom’diminutive of corpus
- Englishearliest quotation 1730corpuscleWiktionary, English corpuscle. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1730, Isaac Newton, The Second Book of Opticks, Part III, Proposition V: “[b]y mixing divers Liquors, very odd and remarkable Productions…”
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *korpos ‘body’
incorporate, corpse, incorporation, 7 more
through Latin corpus ‘body’
corporation, corporate, corps, corporal, corse, corsage, incorporeal, corpulent, 10 more
Today it means
noun A minute particle; an atom; a molecule.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “corpuscle”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin corpus. 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 *krépos / corpuscle