stencil

The story

1. Latin · derived fromscintilla“spark”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*stincilla
3. Old French · derived fromestencele“spark”
4. Old French · derived fromestenceler“to spark”
5. Middle French · derived fromestinceller“to glisten”
6. Middle English · inherited fromstencellen“to garnish with bright hues”
7. English todaystencil

Likely a nominalization of Middle English stencellen (“to garnish with bright hues”), borrowed from Middle French estinceller (“to glisten”), from Old French estenceler (“to spark”), from Old French estencele (“spark”), from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, from metathesis of Latin scintilla (“spark”). The verb is from the noun.

Words from the same roots