Etymograph

English

parallax

Parallax comes from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις ‘alteration’, from ἄλλος ‘other’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1‘beyond, other’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂élyos2‘other, another’uncertain
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄλλος3állos‘other’uncertain
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀλλάσσω3allássō‘to alter’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραλλάσσω3parallássō‘to cause to alternate’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαράλλαξις3parállaxis‘alteration’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600parallaxe3
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1685parallax3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄλλος
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English parallax
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1685, J. Flamsteed, Philosophical Transactions: “[…] Heliocentrick places, to which the Parallaxes being applied,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos‘beyond, other’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂élyosWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἄλλος‘other, another’uncertain
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄλλοςWiktionary, English parallaxállos‘other’uncertain
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀλλάσσωWiktionary, English parallaxallássō‘to alter’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραλλάσσωWiktionary, English parallaxparallássō‘to cause to alternate’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαράλλαξιςWiktionary, English parallaxparállaxis‘alteration’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600parallaxeWiktionary, English parallax
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1685parallaxWiktionary, English parallax. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1685, J. Flamsteed, Philosophical Transactions: “[…] Heliocentrick places, to which the Parallaxes being applied,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘beyond, other’

as, all, old, adult, el, ultimate, element, elder, ultra, alter, ellen, ou, qualification, altitude, alumni, outrage, adolescent, alt, abolish, alpine, altar, alias, alto, alum, alienation, retaliate, auld, alimony, ulterior, alienate, proletariat, alp, inalienable, coalesce, exalt, foetal, althea, aad, eld, altimeter, 58 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos ‘other, another’

else, alien, alternate, adultery, altercation, alibi, altruism, alternation, 32 more

Today it means

noun An apparent shift in the position of two stationary objects relative to each other as viewed by an observer, due to a change in observer position.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “parallax”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos, Ancient Greek ἄλλος. 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 *h₂el- / parallax

Shirt and support for this word