Where does “consciousness” come from?
Consciousness comes from Latin conscius, formed from the prefix com- meaning "with" and the root scīre meaning "to know," literally denoting awareness or knowledge shared with oneself.
consciousness (English): The state of being conscious or aware; awareness
Definitions
- The state of being conscious or aware; awareness
Ancestry of “consciousness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | conscious | Alert, awake; with one's mental faculties active;... |
| 2 | Latin | conscius | conscious |
| 3 | Latin | consciō | to be conscious of, have on one's conscience |
| 4 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 5 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 6 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |