English
hectolitre
Hectolitre comes from French hectolitre, from Ancient Greek λίτρα ‘a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyH- ‘to pour’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyH-1‘to pour’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*līðrā2‘ingot’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλίτρα3‘a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500litra3
- Frenchc. 1600–presentlitre4
- Frenchc. 1600–presenthectolitre5
- Englishtodayhectolitre5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *līðrā
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek λίτρα
- 3 Wiktionary, French litre
- 4 Wiktionary, French hectolitre
- 5 Wiktionary, English hectolitre
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyH-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *līðrā‘to pour’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*līðrāWiktionary, Ancient Greek λίτρα‘ingot’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλίτραWiktionary, French litre‘a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500litraWiktionary, French litre
- Frenchc. 1600–presentlitreWiktionary, French hectolitre
- Frenchc. 1600–presenthectolitreWiktionary, English hectolitre
- EnglishtodayhectolitreWiktionary, English hectolitre
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *līðrā ‘ingot’
level, deliberate, equilibrium, deliberation, lira, libra, deliberative, 18 more
through Ancient Greek λίτρα ‘a Sicilian coin, a measure of weight’
Today it means
noun A unit of volume or capacity equivalent to 100 litres. Symbol: hL
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “hectolitre”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *līðrā, Ancient Greek λίτρα, French litre, French hectolitre. 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 *leyH- / hectolitre