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pistil

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Etymology and origin of the French word pistil

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1685 Dadu's translation of Grew More words from the 17th century
Borrowed from
Latin pistillus
Ultimate origin
Latin pistillus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French pistil
English pistil

Pronunciation

Forms

pistil m (plural pistils)[1] First spelled pistille (1685); pistil is recorded from 1690.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin pistillus (“pestle”), so called from the organ's shape.[2][3][5][6] Wiktionary gives the Latin as pistillum and compares the inherited Old French pestel.[1] Rey takes the Latin word as a diminutive of pīlum (“pestle”), from pīnsō (“to pound”), and so relates it to pétrir, piste and piston.[3]

English pistil (1718) comes from the French word.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears as pistille in 1685, in Dadu's translation of Grew's Anatomy of Plants, for the female organ in the centre of a flower.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The botanical sense has not changed; the spelling pistil was fixed by Furetière's dictionary in 1690.[2][3][6] The adjective pistillaire was derived from it in 1842.[3]

Timeline

  • 1685 – Pistille in Dadu's translation of Grew.[2][6]
  • 1690 – Furetière records pistil.[2][6]
  • 1718 – English pistil is first recorded.[7]
  • 1842 – The derivative pistillaire appears.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (botany) The female reproductive organ of a flower, made up of the ovaire, the style and the stigmate.[2][8][6]

Word family

  • pistillaire

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Pistil.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/pistil. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·