Etymograph

English

filial

Filial comes from Latin fīlius ‘son’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- ‘to suckle, nurse’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁(y)-1‘to suckle, nurse’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁ilyós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θīlios1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fīlios1‘son’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīlius1‘son’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīliālis1
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500filial1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1794filial1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English filial
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1794, Charlotte Smith, Chapter 20: “The filial duty Ellesmere had paid to a father,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁(y)-Wiktionary, English filial‘to suckle, nurse’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁ilyósWiktionary, English filialreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θīliosWiktionary, English filialreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fīliosWiktionary, English filial‘son’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīliusWiktionary, English filial‘son’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfīliālisWiktionary, English filial
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500filialWiktionary, English filial
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1794filialWiktionary, English filial. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1794, Charlotte Smith, Chapter 20: “The filial duty Ellesmere had paid to a father,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- ‘to suckle, nurse’

female, feminist, feminism, doe, fetus, tyre, dai, femme, felicity, femininity, fawn, effeminate, fellatio, fecundity, dahi, 30 more

through Latin fīlius ‘son’

affiliate, fils, 10 more

Today it means

adj Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “filial”. 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 *dʰeh₁(y)- / filial

Shirt and support for this word