latin filum and filius

[Guest]

filum is thread (from which we have file) and filius is son (from which we have filial and affiliate), are filum and filius related?

[Sisyphe]

filum is thread (from which we have file) and filius is son (from which we have filial and affiliate), are filum and filius related?

In French, it's going worse, because the both words are written in plural " les fils", but the pronunciation differs : the sons = [fis], the threads = [fil].

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Answer is : no. For all we know (we = specialists for indo-european linguistics), filius and filum are not related each other.

Filius, the son, belongs to a well-known indo-european stem : *dhê-, whose first meaning was "to suckle". Hence came many words :

- filius and filia, of course "those who are nursed".

- femina "woman" ("this who suckles").

From the idea of nursing is derivated the idea of gaving birth, therefore :

- fetus (adjective) "fertilized, impragnated".

- fecundus (fruitful, fertile)

- felix "happy", like a woman who has given birth (to be sterile is the worse thing which could happen to a woman in archaic societies ; a barren wife could be repudiated)

- fetus (written "foetus" in maedieval manuscripts, and hence in our own use) : foetus, cub.

- feto : cub of wild animals, especially the fawn (the english word itself comes from the french one : faon (pronounced [faõn] at the middle-age, and now [fã], and "faon" is the result of the accusative form "fetonem").

- fenus : hay (product from the meadow).

And in other tongues : old greek "thelus" θηλυς "feminin" (in modern greek too, I think, at least for the grammatical meaning), lettish dels "the son", and of course germ. Zitze and its english equivalent : teat.

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"Filum", the thread, is a little bit more obscure. But we think it is kindred to the old slavic word "zila" = vein, and some other words. So that the original stem has to be : *gwhil-.

[bmo]

thanks a lot, it is very clear. Although filiare (to acknowledge as a son, filius) and filare (to spin, filum) do look close enough.