Etymograph

English

libella

Libella comes from Latin lībella ‘an as’, and goes back to libra ‘balance’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElibra1‘balance’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElībella1‘an as’diminutive of libra
  3. Englishtodaylibella1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English libella

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElibraWiktionary, English libella‘balance’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElībellaWiktionary, English libella‘an as’diminutive of libra
  3. EnglishtodaylibellaWiktionary, English libella

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *līðrā ‘ingot’

rattle, litre, 17 more

through Latin libra ‘balance’

equilibrium, deliberate, lira, deliberation, libra, deliberative, 7 more

through Latin lībella ‘an as’

level, 1 more

Today it means

noun A small balance.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “libella”. 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 / Latin libra / libella

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