Where does “epic” come from?
Epic comes from Middle French épique, derived from Ancient Greek ἐπί and the adjectival suffix -ικός, ultimately tracing to Ancient Greek ἔπος meaning "word" or "tale."
epic (English): An extended narrative poem in elevated or...
Definitions
- An extended narrative poem in elevated or...
Ancestry of “epic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | épique | — |
| 2 | Latin | epicus | epic |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἐπικός | epic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἔπος | something spoken: speech, story, song; epic... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ϝέπος | — |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | wékʷos | word, speech |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wékʷos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |
Words derived from “epic”