English
stratify
Stratify comes from French stratifier ‘to stratify’, from Latin sternō ‘spread’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sterh₃-1‘to spread’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*str̥néh₃ti1‘to strew’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*stornō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsternō2‘spread’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstratum3perfect passive participle of sternō
- Frenchc. 1600–presentstrate4‘stratum’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentstratifier5‘to stratify’
- Englishtodaystratify5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin sterno
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin stratum
- 3 Wiktionary, French strate
- 4 Wiktionary, French stratifier
- 5 Wiktionary, English stratify
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sterh₃-Wiktionary, Latin sterno‘to spread’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*str̥néh₃tiWiktionary, Latin sterno‘to strew’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*stornōWiktionary, Latin sternoreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsternōWiktionary, Latin stratum‘spread’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstratumWiktionary, French strateperfect passive participle of sternō
- Frenchc. 1600–presentstrateWiktionary, French stratifier‘stratum’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentstratifierWiktionary, English stratify‘to stratify’
- EnglishtodaystratifyWiktionary, English stratify
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃- ‘to spread’
street, straw, strand, sternum, stroma, substratum, 10 more
through Latin sternō ‘spread’
Today it means
verb To become separated out into distinct layers or strata.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “stratify”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin sterno, Latin stratum, French strate, French stratifier. 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 *sterh₃- / stratify