Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “expect” come from?

Expect comes from Latin expectare, formed from ex- meaning "out" and speḱ- meaning "to look or observe," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots denoting outward perception.

expect (English): To predict or believe that something will happen;...

Definitions

  1. To predict or believe that something will happen;...

Ancestry of “expect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinexpectāre—

Words derived from “expect”

  • spect
  • expectable
  • expecteth
  • expectative
  • expectest
  • expectably
  • unexpectable
  • expecter
  • expective
  • expectee
  • inexpectable
  • half-expect
  • expectiminimax
Every word from Latin expectāre →