Etymology

pith

P3I1T1H4

Today it means: The soft, spongy substance inside plant parts; specifically, the parenchyma in the centre of the roots and stems of many plants and trees. Full definition →

First used early 19th c.Middle English pith ← Old English piþa ← Proto-Germanic *piþô
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pith · noun, verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*piþô
  2. Old English · inherited frompiþa
  3. Middle English · inherited frompith
  4. English todaypith

The noun is derived from Middle English pith, pithe (“soft interior; pith, pulp”) [and other forms], from Old English piþa [and other forms], from Proto-Germanic *piþô, from earlier *piþō (oblique *pittan); further etymology unknown. Doublet of pit (“seed or stone inside a fruit”). The verb Middle English pethen (“to give courage or strength”), derived from pith (noun), did not survive into modern English. Cognates * Dutch peen (“carrot”) * Middle Low German peddek, peddik, piddek (“bone marrow; medulla; spinal cord; inner part of a horn or quill; (figurative) core, essence”) (the last spelling rare) (Low German Peddik (“core; pulp”)) * West Frisian piid (“pulp, kernel”)

pith · adjective, noun2

From pi (“constant representing the ratio of the circumference of a Euclidean circle to its diameter”) + -th (suffix forming ordinal numerals).

Words from the same roots

Proto-Germanic*piþô all →

pit

First known use, by meaning

  • from early 19th c. To render insensate or kill (an animal, especially cattle or a laboratory animal) by cutting, piercing, or otherwise destroying the spinal cord.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.