*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of stele

From Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”), plural form στῆλαι (stêlai). Doublet of stela.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An upright (or formerly upright) slab containing engraved or painted decorations or inscriptions; a stela. · Any carved or engraved surface. · An acroterion, the decoration on the ridge of an ancient Greek building such as a temple.

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

From Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”), plural form στῆλαι (stêlai). Doublet of stela.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "στήλη",
        "4": "",
        "5": "upright rock; pillar; column"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "stela"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of stela"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "στήλη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "στῆλαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "stela",
      "stela#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
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        "An upright (or formerly upright) slab containing engraved or painted decorations or inscriptions; a stela.",
        "Any carved or engraved surface.",
        "An acroterion, the decoration on the ridge of an ancient Greek building such as a temple."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncommon",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The central core of a plant's root and stem system, especially including the vascular tissue and developed from the plerome.

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

From 1886 French stèle, from Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "stèle"
      },
      "expansion": "French stèle"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "στήλη",
        "4": "",
        "5": "upright rock; pillar; column"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "stèle",
      "stèle#French"
    ],
    [
      "στήλη",
      "στήλη#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The central core of a plant's root and stem system, especially including the vascular tissue and developed from the plerome."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

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 stele →

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-c3RlbGU