Where does “age” come from?
Age derives from Middle English age, from Old Norse agi, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂egʰ-, with influence from Latin aevum meaning lifetime or age.
age (English): The whole duration of a being, whether animal,...
Definitions
- The whole duration of a being, whether animal,...
Ancestry of “age”, step by step
age traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English age
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | age | The age of someone or rarely something; how old someone is |
| 2 | Old French | aage | age |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | aetaticum | age |
| 4 | Latin | aetās | the period of a life: lifetime, lifespan |
| 5 | Latin | aevitās | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | aiwotāts | age |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |