Where does “average” come from?
Average derives from Middle English aver, from Old French avarie, combining aver (to have) with the suffix -age, ultimately from Latin -aticus and -icus.
average (English): The arithmetic mean; Any measure of central...
Definitions
- The arithmetic mean; Any measure of central...
Ancestry of “average”, step by step
average traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French avarie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | avarie | — |
| 2 | Old French | avarie | damage done to goods on a watercraft when they... |
| 3 | Old Italian | avaria | — |
via Middle English average
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | average | — |