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

  1. An extended narrative poem in elevated or...

Ancestry of “epic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchépique
2Latinepicusepic
3Ancient Greekἐπικόςepic
4Ancient Greekἔποςsomething spoken: speech, story, song; epic...
5Ancient Greekϝέπος
6Proto-Hellenicwékʷosword, speech
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwékʷos
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwekʷ-to speak, to sound out

Words derived from “epic

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wekʷ-