Etymograph

English

thyroiditis

Thyroiditis comes from New Latin thyreoīdēs, from Ancient Greek θῠρεοειδής ‘Shield-shaped’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-1‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydos1‘seeing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wéidos1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἶδος1eîdos
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθῠρεοειδής1thŭreoeidḗs‘Shield-shaped’
  6. New Latinmodernthyreoīdēs1
  7. English1500–presentthyroid1
  8. Englishtodaythyroiditis1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English thyroiditis

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-Wiktionary, English thyroiditis‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydosWiktionary, English thyroiditis‘seeing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wéidosWiktionary, English thyroiditisreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἶδοςWiktionary, English thyroiditiseîdos
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθῠρεοειδήςWiktionary, English thyroiditisthŭreoeidḗs‘Shield-shaped’
  6. New LatinmodernthyreoīdēsWiktionary, English thyroiditis
  7. English1500–presentthyroidWiktionary, English thyroiditis
  8. EnglishtodaythyroiditisWiktionary, English thyroiditis

A compound of thyroid + -itis

Proto-Indo-European *dʰwer- ‘door’

…

Ancient Greek θῠ́ρᾱ ‘door’

Ancient Greek θῠρεός ‘an oblong shield’

Ancient Greek θῠρεοειδής ‘shield-shaped’

New Latin thyreoīdēs ‘Shaped like a shield’

English thyroid

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’

story, guy, video, idea, review, evidence, advice, interview, provide, visit, guide, vision, witness, historic, wisdom, invisible, visa, advise, wizard, evident, historian, wit, vista, visibility, wisely, prudent, witty, revise, guise, envious, prudence, revue, unwise, purview, druid, vide, improvise, avis, voyeur, twit, 104 more

through Proto-Indo-European *wéydos ‘seeing’

wise, 48 more

through Proto-Hellenic *wéidos

eidolon, steroidal, 48 more

through Ancient Greek εἶδος

idol, tabloid, steroid, idyll, trapezoid, colloid, sigmoid, hyoid, 50 more

through English thyroid

hypothyroidism, parathyroid, thyroxine, hyperthyroidism, 14 more

Today it means

noun Inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “thyroiditis”. 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 *weyd- / thyroiditis

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