Lithic
/ˈlɪθɪk/noun
Relating to stone or to the Stone Age.
Did you know?Its root is Greek líthos, and that stone-root also helped create scientific words for fossils, rock tools, and even the “lith-” in medical terms like lithotomy, the cutting of stones.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leydʰ-
“to let go, release, or drop”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λίθος (líthos)
“stone, rock”
Late Greek
Greek
λιθικός (lithikós)
“of stone; stony”
19th Century
English
lithic
“of or relating to stone or the Stone Age”
Modern English
English
lithic
“relating to stone; stony”
Explore more surprising origins