Etymograph

English

difficile

Difficile comes from Old French difficile ‘difficult’, from Latin facilis ‘easy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁k-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁kyéti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θakjō1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fakjō1‘to make’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaciō1‘do, make’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfacilis2‘easy’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifficilis2‘difficult, hard, troublesome’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400difficile2‘difficult’
  9. Englishtodaydifficile2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin facilis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English difficile

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁k-Wiktionary, Latin facilisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁kyétiWiktionary, Latin facilisreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θakjōWiktionary, Latin facilisreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fakjōWiktionary, Latin facilis‘to make’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaciōWiktionary, Latin facilis‘do, make’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfacilisWiktionary, English difficile‘easy’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifficilisWiktionary, English difficile‘difficult, hard, troublesome’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400difficileWiktionary, English difficile‘difficult’
  9. EnglishtodaydifficileWiktionary, English difficile

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *θakjō

effectively, effectiveness, ineffective, affectionate, imperfection, putrefaction, 64 more

through Proto-Italic *fakjō ‘to make’

effective, factor, interface, perfection, manufacture, faction, affection, imperfect, facet, defection, affective, defector, effector, deface, confectionary, affectation, 70 more

through Latin faciō ‘do, make’

face, fact, perfect, effect, feature, profit, affect, infection, affair, feat, facial, sacrifice, efficient, defect, fetish, deficit, facade, counterfeit, infect, efficacy, superficial, deficient, facsimile, hacienda, confection, parfait, beautify, maleficent, refectory, facies, aficionado, confit, efficacious, beneficent, 86 more

through Latin facilis ‘easy’

faculty, facility, facilitate, facile, 3 more

Today it means

adj Hard to work with; stubborn.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “difficile”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin facilis. 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 *dʰeh₁k- / difficile

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