Where does “exercise” come from?
Exercise comes from Middle English exercise, from Old French exercise, from Latin exercitium, derived from Latin exerceo meaning to drive out or keep busy, formed from the prefix ex- meaning out.
exercise (English): Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill...
Definitions
- Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill...
Ancestry of “exercise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | exercise | — |
| 2 | Old French | exercise | — |
| 3 | Latin | exercitium | exercise, practice |
| 4 | Latin | exerceo | I keep busy, keep at work, drive on; occupy,... |
| 5 | Latin | arceo | I shut up, enclose; box in; I keep off, ward off;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | arkeō | to contain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂erk- | to protect, guard, hold, lock |