Etymograph

English

pastiche

Pastiche comes from Italian pasticcio ‘pie, something blended’, from Vulgar Latin *pastīcius ‘dough’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti1uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάσσω2‘to sprinkle’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαστός3pastós‘sprinkled with salt’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαστά3pastá‘barley porridge’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpasta3‘dough, pastry cake, paste’
  6. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*pastīcius3‘dough’reconstructed
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentpasticcio3‘pie, something blended’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentpastiche3
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2008pastiche3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πάσσω, which cites Beekes, LIV
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παστός
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English pastiche
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, Natalie Angier, A Gene Map for the Cute Side of the Family: “That the genetic code of the platypus proved to…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kuh₁t-yé-tiWiktionary, Ancient Greek πάσσω, which cites Beekes, LIVuncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάσσωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παστός‘to sprinkle’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαστόςWiktionary, English pastichepastós‘sprinkled with salt’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαστάWiktionary, English pastichepastá‘barley porridge’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpastaWiktionary, English pastiche‘dough, pastry cake, paste’
  6. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*pastīciusWiktionary, English pastiche‘dough’reconstructed
  7. Italianc. 1300–presentpasticcioWiktionary, English pastiche‘pie, something blended’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentpasticheWiktionary, English pastiche
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2008pasticheWiktionary, English pastiche. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, Natalie Angier, A Gene Map for the Cute Side of the Family: “That the genetic code of the platypus proved to…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti

concussion, cashier, quash, repercussion, fracas, zouk, casco, casse, 26 more

through Ancient Greek παστά ‘barley porridge’

pasta, pastel, 13 more

through Late Latin pasta ‘dough, pastry cake, paste’

paste, 13 more

through Vulgar Latin *pastīcius ‘dough’

patisserie, 7 more

Today it means

noun A work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist, usually in a positive or neutral way.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pastiche”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek πάσσω, Ancient Greek παστός. 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 *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti / pastiche

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