Where does “ague” come from?
Ague derives from Middle English agu, from Middle French aguë, from Latin acuta (feminine of acutus, meaning sharp), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- meaning to be sharp or pointed.
ague (English): An acute fever; An intermittent fever, attended...
Definitions
- An acute fever; An intermittent fever, attended...
Ancestry of “ague”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | agu | — |
| 2 | Middle French | aguë | acute |
| 3 | Latin | acūta | — |
| 4 | Latin | acūtus | sharpened, made sharp, sharp, having been sharpened |
| 5 | Latin | acuō | to make pointed, sharpen, whet |
| 6 | Latin | acus | a needle, a pin; bodkin; bran, awn, chaff |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | akus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱus | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ- | sharp |