Etymograph

English

filament

Filament comes from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō ‘to spin, draw out in a long line’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fī(s)lom1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlum1‘thread’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfīlō1‘to spin, draw out in a long line’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fīlāmentum1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1979filament1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English filament
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1979, Graham Burtenshaw, O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1: “Lighting was unimaginative for the standard stock with naked…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-Wiktionary, English filamentreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fī(s)lomWiktionary, English filamentreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlumWiktionary, English filament‘thread’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfīlōWiktionary, English filament‘to spin, draw out in a long line’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500fīlāmentumWiktionary, English filament
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1979filamentWiktionary, English filament. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1979, Graham Burtenshaw, O.V.S. Bulleid's SR loco-hauled coaches - 1: “Lighting was unimaginative for the standard stock with naked…”

Linked words

through Latin fīlum ‘thread’

file, annihilation, annihilate, fillet, nihilism, nihilist, nihil, 43 more

through Late Latin fīlō ‘to spin, draw out in a long line’

defile

Today it means

noun A fine thread or wire.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “filament”. 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 *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo- / filament

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