Pith
/pɪθ/noun
The soft, spongy tissue inside a plant stem, or the essential part of something.
Did you know?In Old English, pith was used for the marrow or essential substance of something, and its deeper ancestry ties it to the same ancient root behind “fat” and “juice,” words once linked to life-force and nourishment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pei-
“to be fat, swell, or be full of sap”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*feþrō / *pithō
“pith, marrow, soft inner substance”
Old English
English
piþ
“pith, marrow, essential inner part”
Middle English
English
pithe
“the core or essential substance of a thing”
Modern English
English
pith
“the soft central tissue of a plant stem; the essential part of something”