English
emboliform
Emboliform comes from Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω ‘to lay or put in’, from βάλλω ‘to throw’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnō1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλω2‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐμβάλλω3‘to lay or put in’
- Englishtodayemboliform3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω
- 3 Wiktionary, English emboliform
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnōWiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐμβάλλωWiktionary, English emboliform‘to lay or put in’
- EnglishtodayemboliformWiktionary, English emboliform
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’
ball, quail, quill, quell, obelisk, pul, 64 more
through Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
ballistic, symbolic, ballista, symbolist, 35 more
through Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’
problem, devil, symbol, metabolic, parable, hyperbolic, parabolic, anabolic, metabolize, hyperbola, 34 more
through Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω ‘to lay or put in’
Today it means
adj Plug-shaped.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “emboliform”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek βάλλω, Ancient Greek ἐμβάλλω. 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 *gʷelH- / emboliform