English
ectype
Ectype comes from Ancient Greek ἔκτυπος ‘worked in relief’, from τύπος ‘a blow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push, beat’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewp-1‘to push, beat’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτῠ́πτω2‘to poke, beat’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτύπος3‘a blow’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔκτυπος3éktupos‘worked in relief’
- Englishearliest quotation 1697ectype3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τύπτω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τύπος
- 3 Wiktionary, English ectype
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1697, John Evelyn, Of Inscriptions: “Peireskius sent the Ectype of a Medal to Sir…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewp-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek τύπτω‘to push, beat’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτῠ́πτωWiktionary, Ancient Greek τύπος‘to poke, beat’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτύποςWiktionary, English ectype‘a blow’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔκτυποςWiktionary, English ectypeéktupos‘worked in relief’
- Englishearliest quotation 1697ectypeWiktionary, English ectype. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1697, John Evelyn, Of Inscriptions: “Peireskius sent the Ectype of a Medal to Sir…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push, beat’
stop, stuff, steep, stubborn, stub, stupendous, archetype, timpani, 17 more
through Ancient Greek τῠ́πτω ‘to poke, beat’
through Ancient Greek τύπος ‘a blow’
Today it means
noun An impression (in wax, clay, &c.) of a seal or medal.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “ectype”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek τύπτω, Ancient Greek τύπος. 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 *(s)tewp- / ectype