English
interpellate
Interpellate comes from Latin interpellātus ‘interjected’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *pel-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pel-1next step skipped: Latin interpellō
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpellātus1‘interjected’
- Englishearliest quotation 1958interpellate1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English interpellate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1958, Roseller Tarroza Lim, Manifestaciones del Sen. [Decoroso] Rosales: “After the gentleman and Senator [Mariano Jesús] Cuenco interpellated…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pel-Wiktionary, English interpellatenext step skipped: Latin interpellō
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpellātusWiktionary, English interpellate‘interjected’
- Englishearliest quotation 1958interpellateWiktionary, English interpellate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1958, Roseller Tarroza Lim, Manifestaciones del Sen. [Decoroso] Rosales: “After the gentleman and Senator [Mariano Jesús] Cuenco interpellated…”
first attested First attested in 1599 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)
The story
First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin interpellātus, perfect passive participle of interpellō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pel-
film, simple, simply, felt, push, powder, fold, pulse, filter, complain, pillow, repeal, flaw, pollen, compulsive, palpable, expel, palladium, palate, repel, propel, palatable, pall, polemic, wallow, pelt, peloton, tuple, muffle, apoplexy, palp, palatal, peplum, pulver, pillion, pollinate, interpolate, 62 more
Today it means
verb To interrupt (someone) so as to inform or question (that person about something).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “interpellate”. 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 *pel- / interpellate