Etymograph

English

postiche

Postiche comes from French postiche ‘artificial’, from Late Latin appositīcius ‘fake, counterfeit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to cultivate’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-1‘to cultivate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinéti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō1‘to put in place’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinō1reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō1‘put’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEappōnō2‘put or place near’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEappositīcius2‘fake, counterfeit’
  8. Old Italianmodernapposticcio3
  9. Italianc. 1300–presentposticcio2‘fake, artificial’
  10. Frenchc. 1600–presentpostiche4‘artificial’
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1993postiche4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin appono
  2. 2 Wiktionary, French postiche
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Italian posticcio
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English postiche
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1993, Patsy Baker, Wigs & Makeup for Theatre: “This type of postiche is called a 'combination wig'…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-Wiktionary, Latin appono‘to cultivate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétiWiktionary, Latin apponoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinōWiktionary, Latin appono‘to put in place’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinōWiktionary, Latin apponoreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnōWiktionary, Latin appono‘put’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEappōnōWiktionary, French postiche‘put or place near’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEappositīciusWiktionary, French postiche‘fake, counterfeit’
  8. Old ItalianmodernapposticcioWiktionary, Italian posticcio
  9. Italianc. 1300–presentposticcioWiktionary, French postiche‘fake, artificial’
  10. Frenchc. 1600–presentposticheWiktionary, English postiche‘artificial’
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1993posticheWiktionary, English postiche. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1993, Patsy Baker, Wigs & Makeup for Theatre: “This type of postiche is called a 'combination wig'…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to cultivate’

homeless, suppose, compound, hamlet, impose, bohemian, homely, hame, 48 more

through Proto-Indo-European *tḱinéti

prepositional, apposite, 37 more

through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’

site, situation, composition, situate, supposition, preposition, situs, positivism, compostela, 39 more

through Proto-Italic *pozinō

opposition, proposition, exposition, deposition, disposition, imposition, suppository, compositor, presupposition, 24 more

through Latin pōnō ‘put’

position, purpose, positive, opposite, opponent, propose, expose, consolation, dispose, repository, posture, compose, proponent, exponent, compost, posit, expound, pone, presuppose, impost, 51 more

Today it means

noun Any item of false hair worn on the head or face, such as a false beard or wig.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “postiche”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin appono, French postiche, Italian posticcio. 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 *tḱey- / postiche

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