Etymology

retroglossal

R1E1T1R1O1G2L1O1S1S1A1L1

Today it means: Behind the tongue Full definition →

English glossal ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Ancient Greek γλῶσσᾰ (glôssă)
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The story

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Latinretrō
  4. Englishretro-
  5. Proto-Hellenic*glṓt͏̌t͏̌ā
  6. Ancient Greekγλῶσσᾰ (glôssă)
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  9. Englishglossal
  10. English todayretroglossal

From retro- + glossal.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.