Where does “curiosity” come from?

Curiosity derives from Middle English curiosite and curiouste, from Anglo-Norman curiouseté and Latin curiositatem, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root kʷey- meaning to pile up or accumulate.

curiosity (English): Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn...

Definitions

  1. Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn...

Ancestry of “curiosity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcuriosite—
2Anglo-Normancuriouseté—
3Latincūriōsitātem—

Words derived from “curiosity”

Every word from Latin cūriōsitātem →Every word from Anglo-Norman curiouseté →Every word from Middle English curiosite →