Etymograph

English

echinoderm

Echinoderm comes from French échinoderme, from derme ‘dermis’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-1‘to tear, tear apart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dérō1reconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρω2‘to skin, flay’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρμα3‘skin’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentderme4‘dermis’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentéchinoderme5
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1879echinoderm5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρμα
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French derme
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French échinoderme
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English echinoderm
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, Richard Rathbun: “Comparatively few additions were therefore made to the previously…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*der-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρω‘to tear, tear apart’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*dérōWiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρωreconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρωWiktionary, Ancient Greek δέρμα‘to skin, flay’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδέρμαWiktionary, French derme‘skin’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentdermeWiktionary, French échinoderme‘dermis’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentéchinodermeWiktionary, English echinoderm
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1879echinodermWiktionary, English echinoderm. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, Richard Rathbun: “Comparatively few additions were therefore made to the previously…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *der- ‘to tear, tear apart’

truck, tear, tart, turd, tirade, tarn, 15 more

through Ancient Greek δέρω ‘to skin, flay’

pander, 8 more

through Ancient Greek δέρμα ‘skin’

dermatology, dermatitis, dermis, derma, 3 more

Today it means

noun An animal of the phylum Echinodermata, comprising radially symmetric, spiny-skinned marine animals including seastars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, crinoids, and sand dollars.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “echinoderm”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek δέρω, Ancient Greek δέρμα, French derme, French échinoderme. 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 *der- / echinoderm

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