Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “author” come from?

Author comes from Middle English auctour, from Anglo-Norman autour, from Latin auctor, an agent noun formed with the suffix -tor from the root h₂ewg-.

author (English): The originator or creator of a work, especially...

Definitions

  1. The originator or creator of a work, especially...

Ancestry of “author”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishauctourA creator or author; the person who authors...
2Anglo-Normanautour—
3Latinauctorseller, vendor; author; authorship, agency,...
4Latinaugeō—
5Proto-Italicaugeōto increase; to enlarge
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂owg-éye-ti—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewg-to increase, to enlarge
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂weg-to increase, to enlarge
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ug-—

Words derived from “author”

  • authorship
  • authorial
  • coauthor
  • authoress
  • coauthorship
  • authorless
  • authorially
  • multiauthor
  • reauthor
  • authorism
  • nonauthorial
  • authorcraft
  • authoriality
  • authorling
  • authorly
  • coauthorial
  • authorhood
  • nonauthor
  • authordom
  • authorish
  • authorlike
  • authorable
  • authors
  • authress
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug- →