Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “effect” come from?

Effect comes from Middle English effect, from Old French effect, from Latin effectus, the past participle of efficio meaning to bring about, derived from ex- and facio meaning to do or make.

effect (English): The result or outcome of a cause; Impression left...

Definitions

  1. The result or outcome of a cause; Impression left...

Ancestry of “effect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englisheffect—
2Old Frencheffecteffect; judgment; decree
3Latineffectusmade out, worked out, completed, finished,...
4Latinefficiō—
5LatinexA name of the letter "X"; out of, from
6Latincommūnicō—
7Latincommūnis—
8Old Latincom(m)oinis—
9Proto-Italickommoinis—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱom-moy-ni-held in common
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
12Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
13Middle Englishkyt—
14Germankitt—
15Old High Germankuti—
16Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
17Proto-Germanickweduzresin

Words derived from “effect”

  • aftereffect
  • feck
  • effectless
  • countereffect
  • bioeffect
  • isoeffect
  • fecker
  • effectible
  • feckly
  • coeffect
  • subeffect
  • effectlessness
  • feckful
  • effectibility
  • ineffectible
  • thermoeffect
  • efekto
  • efekto
  • efektigar
  • efekti
Every word from Proto-Germanic kweduz →