Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “classify” come from?

Classify comes from French classifier, from French classe, from Latin classis, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.

classify (English): to identify by or divide into classes; to...

Definitions

  1. to identify by or divide into classes; to...

Ancestry of “classify”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchclassifierto classify
2Frenchclasseclass, type, group; "Une classe de conscrits"...
3Italianclasseclass; classroom; style
4Spanishclaselecture; class; kind, sort, type
5Portugueseclasseclass, kind; class; elegance; class
6Germanklassegreat, awesome
7Russianклассclass; grade ; form; classroom
8Latinclassisany one of the five divisions into which Servius...
9Proto-Italicklāssis—
10Proto-Indo-Europeankelh₁-to call, cry, summon

Words derived from “classify”

  • classified
  • classifying
  • classifier
  • unclassified
  • reclassify
  • subclassified
  • declassify
  • misclassify
  • nonclassified
  • subclassify
  • multiclassifier
  • overclassify
  • metaclassifier
  • semiclassified
  • declassifiable
  • reclassifier
  • autoclassify
  • autoclassifier
  • nonclassifying
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kelh₁- →