*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of acetyl

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱéh₁yeti Proto-Italic *akēō Latin aceō Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Pr

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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 radical CH₃CO- derived from acetic acid.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱéh₁yeti Proto-Italic *akēō Latin aceō Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Italic *-skō Latin -scō Latin acēscō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Latin acētumder. English aceto- English acet- Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. Frenchder. English -yl English acetyl aceto- + -yl. From Latin acētum (“vinegar”) + Ancient Greek ὕλη (húlē, “substance”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionacētumla · vinegar
  • Derivation mentionὕληgrc · substance
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": "acet-",
        "4": "-yl",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eḱéh₁yeti\nProto-Italic *akēō\nLatin aceō\nProto-Indo-European *-sḱéti\nProto-Italic *-skō\nLatin -scō\nLatin acēscō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nLatin -tus\nLatin acētumder.\nEnglish aceto-\nEnglish acet-\nProto-Indo-European *swel-der.?\nAncient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der.\nFrenchder.\nEnglish -yl\nEnglish acetyl\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"to be sour\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*h₂eḱéh₁yeti\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"sharp\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂eḱ-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₁ti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₁yeti\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*akēō\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"aceō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"durative verbs\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-sḱéti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-skō\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-scō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"acēscō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"id\" : \"past participle\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-tos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-tus\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"acētum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"aceto-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"acet-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"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\" : \"acetyl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"acetyl\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "confix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "aceto",
        "3": "yl"
      },
      "expansion": "aceto- + -yl"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "acētum",
        "t": "vinegar"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin acētum (“vinegar”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ὕλη",
        "t": "substance"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ὕλη (húlē, “substance”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "acet-",
        "4": "-yl",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti\nProto-Indo-European *h₂eḱéh₁yeti\nProto-Italic *akēō\nLatin aceō\nProto-Indo-European *-sḱéti\nProto-Italic *-skō\nLatin -scō\nLatin acēscō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nLatin -tus\nLatin acētumder.\nEnglish aceto-\nEnglish acet-\nProto-Indo-European *swel-der.?\nAncient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der.\nFrenchder.\nEnglish -yl\nEnglish acetyl"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂eḱ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂eḱ-#Proto-Indo-European:_sharp"
    ],
    [
      "*-éh₁ti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éh₁ti"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti"
    ],
    [
      "*-éh₁yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éh₁yeti"
    ],
    [
      "*akēō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/akēō"
    ],
    [
      "aceō",
      "aceo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-sḱéti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-sḱéti#Proto-Indo-European:_durative_verbs"
    ],
    [
      "*-skō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-skō"
    ],
    [
      "-scō",
      "-sco#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "acēscō",
      "acesco#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-tós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-tos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-tos#Proto-Italic:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-tus",
      "-tus#Latin:_past_participle"
    ],
    [
      "acētum",
      "acetum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "aceto-",
      "aceto-#English"
    ],
    [
      "acet-",
      "acet-#English"
    ],
    [
      "*swel-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/swel-"
    ],
    [
      "ῡ̔́λη",
      "ὕλη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "-yl",
      "-yl#English"
    ],
    [
      "aceto-",
      "aceto-#English"
    ],
    [
      "-yl",
      "-yl#English"
    ],
    [
      "acētum",
      "acetum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ὕλη",
      "ὕλη#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The univalent radical CH₃CO- derived from acetic acid."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 150301
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "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 acetyl →

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-YWNldHls