English
taenia
Taenia comes from Latin taenia ‘ribbon’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘stretch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘stretch’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEταινία2tainía‘ribbon, tape’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtaenia2‘ribbon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1835taenia2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ταινία, which cites Beekes
- 2 Wiktionary, English taenia
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, W. B. Joy, Worms: “About an hour after the last dose, that is,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ταινία, which cites Beekes‘stretch’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEταινίαWiktionary, English taeniatainía‘ribbon, tape’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtaeniaWiktionary, English taenia‘ribbon’
- Englishearliest quotation 1835taeniaWiktionary, English taenia. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, W. B. Joy, Worms: “About an hour after the last dose, that is,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘stretch’
continue, content, tight, tone, maintenance, ton, contain, entertainment, tune, continuous, obtain, retain, continent, tennis, tender, detention, sustain, retention, tenant, continuum, rein, pristine, pertinent, tenor, tonic, tendon, abstinence, detain, tenacity, tenacious, abstain, sustenance, countenance, incontinence, tenet, pertain, tetanus, tenement, retinue, tantra, 72 more
Today it means
noun A ribbon worn in the hair in ancient Greece.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “taenia”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek ταινία. 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 *ten- / taenia