Etymograph

English

ptosis

Ptosis comes from Ancient Greek πτῶσις ‘falling, fall’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *peth₂-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-1‘to fall’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pípth₂-1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*píptō1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπίπτω2‘to fall down’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπτῶσις2ptôsis‘falling, fall’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1970ptosis2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πίπτω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English ptosis
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1970, JG Ballard: “There were many other factors to be taken into…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πίπτω‘to fall’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pípth₂-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πίπτωreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*píptōWiktionary, Ancient Greek πίπτωreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπίπτωWiktionary, English ptosis‘to fall down’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπτῶσιςWiktionary, English ptosisptôsis‘falling, fall’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1970ptosisWiktionary, English ptosis. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1970, JG Ballard: “There were many other factors to be taken into…”

first attested First used in 1710 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to fall’

pass, mile, repeat, compete, pen, expansion, expand, petition, patent, helicopter, feather, competitor, perpetual, spawn, impetus, expanse, perpetuate, perpetuity, pennant, petulant, patina, pinion, impetuous, patella, pata, penna, petulance, 81 more

through Proto-Hellenic *píptō

symptomatic, 6 more

through Ancient Greek πίπτω ‘to fall down’

symptom, 2 more

Today it means

noun The prolapse of a bodily organ, especially drooping of the eyelid or the breasts.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ptosis”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek πίπτω. 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- / ptosis

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