Etymograph

English

rillette

Rillette comes from French rille ‘dialectal form of <i class="Latn mention"…’, from Old French reille ‘small plank’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō2‘to rule, govern’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgula3
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reille3‘small plank’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentrille4‘dialectal form of <i class="Latn mention" lang="fr">reille</i>’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentrillette5
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2008rillette5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin regula
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French rille
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French rillette
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English rillette
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, The New York Times, Turqua Grill and The JakeWalk: “It’s possible to cobble together a meatier meal, like…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rixreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, Latin regula‘to rule, govern’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgulaWiktionary, French rille
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reilleWiktionary, French rille‘small plank’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentrilleWiktionary, French rillette‘dialectal form of <i class="Latn mention" lang="fr">reille</i>’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentrilletteWiktionary, English rillette
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2008rilletteWiktionary, English rillette. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, The New York Times, Turqua Grill and The JakeWalk: “It’s possible to cobble together a meatier meal, like…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’

right, real, royal, correct, rich, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rex, rogue, raj, interrogation, rake, dresser, rector, regal, regency, rani, undress, dressage, rajah, rhesus, eldritch, rectilinear, interregnum, riel, dirigible, retch, derailleur, 72 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to straighten’

ana, anorexia, 39 more

through Proto-Italic *regō

regional, resource, directory, regiment, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 34 more

through Latin regō ‘to rule, govern’

director, source, region, direction, address, direct, dress, regime, realm, resurrection, ruler, erect, regent, insurrection, rectify, rectum, rectification, droit, irregularity, dirge, incorrigible, recto, rectus, rectitude, derecho, regio, corregidor, 45 more

through Latin rēgula

regular, rule, regulate, regula, 6 more

Today it means

noun A dish of meat cooked in fat then shredded and served in a ramekin.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rillette”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin rego, Latin regula, French rille, French rillette. 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 *h₃reǵ- / rillette

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