English word origin

Etymology of pilum

Borrowed from Latin pilum. Doublet of pile.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary 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

A Roman military javelin. · The columella on the surface of a pollen grain.

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

Borrowed from Latin pilum. Doublet of pile.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Root classification mention*peys-ine-pro
Borrowed-form mentionpilumla
Doublet mentionpileen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*peys-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pilum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pilum"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pile"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of pile"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pilum",
      "pilum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "pile",
      "pile#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Roman military javelin.",
        "The columella on the surface of a pollen grain."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "7bef690e1d705d42424aefb2119fa879e50d4a1dd8336439c1952f99dfe57e7d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5bbc1c28361b6b1595becdf6a2e6ef527ed936df2e65468cf20edbeb430a933f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 225365
    }
  ],
  "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 pilum →

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-cGlsdW0