English
monopteros
Monopteros comes from Ancient Greek μονόπτερος, from πτερόν ‘wing’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-1‘to fly’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂r̥2‘feather’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pterón2reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπτερόν3pterón‘wing’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμονόπτερος3monópteros
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmonopteros3
- Englishearliest quotation 2001monopteros3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πτερόν
- 3 Wiktionary, English monopteros
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2001, WG Sebald, Austerlitz: “I leafed through the various boxes and drawers, staring…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥‘to fly’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂r̥Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πτερόν‘feather’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pterónWiktionary, Ancient Greek πτερόνreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπτερόνWiktionary, English monopterospterón‘wing’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμονόπτεροςWiktionary, English monopterosmonópteros
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmonopterosWiktionary, English monopteros
- Englishearliest quotation 2001monopterosWiktionary, English monopteros. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2001, WG Sebald, Austerlitz: “I leafed through the various boxes and drawers, staring…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fly’
pass, mile, repeat, expansion, pen, expand, compete, petition, patent, competitor, symptom, perpetual, spawn, impetus, expanse, perpetuate, pennant, perpetuity, petulant, patina, impetuous, pinion, pata, patella, penna, petulance, 82 more
through Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ ‘feather’
through Ancient Greek πτερόν ‘wing’
Today it means
noun A classical temple made up of one circle of columns supporting a roof.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “monopteros”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥, Ancient Greek πτερόν. 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 *peth₂- / monopteros