*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of cetyl

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κῆτος (kêtos)bor. Latin cētus Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. Frenchder. English -yl English cetyl From Latin cētus (“whale”) + English -yl.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

The univalent hexadecyl radical C₁₆H₃₃- present in many waxes.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κῆτος (kêtos)bor. Latin cētus Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. Frenchder. English -yl English cetyl From Latin cētus (“whale”) + English -yl.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "la:cētus<t:whale>",
        "4": "-yl",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nAncient Greek κῆτος (kêtos)bor.\nLatin cētus\nProto-Indo-European *swel-der.?\nAncient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der.\nFrenchder.\nEnglish -yl\nEnglish cetyl\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"any sea-monster or huge fish\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"κῆτος\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"cētus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"French\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*swel-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ῡ̔́λη\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang\" : \"fr\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-yl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"cetyl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"cetyl\">\nFrom Latin cētus (“whale”) + English -yl."
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "la:cētus<t:whale>",
        "4": "-yl",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nAncient Greek κῆτος (kêtos)bor.\nLatin cētus\nProto-Indo-European *swel-der.?\nAncient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der.\nFrenchder.\nEnglish -yl\nEnglish cetyl\nFrom Latin cētus (“whale”) + English -yl."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "κῆτος",
      "κῆτος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "cētus",
      "cetus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*swel-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/swel-"
    ],
    [
      "ῡ̔́λη",
      "ὕλη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "-yl",
      "-yl#English"
    ],
    [
      "cētus",
      "cetus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-yl",
      "-yl#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The univalent hexadecyl radical C₁₆H₃₃- present in many waxes."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6d760e981d8117aef5d6190933004bfeabc20b4ba5a7910d16457eda7bcaa637",
      "rawRecordSha256": "40d64c967c34d66619846e10ddc67cc58b0392e77811443a32a1c57137da2094",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1419080
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cetyl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2V0eWw