Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “expectancy” come from?

Expectancy derives from Old French expectant, from Latin expectāns, built on the Latin suffix -cia (later -ia), ultimately from Ancient Greek -ία and Proto-Indo-European -h₂.

expectancy (English): Expectation or anticipation; the state of...

Definitions

  1. Expectation or anticipation; the state of...

Ancestry of “expectancy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishexpectantMarked by expectation; Pregnant; Awaiting the...
2Old Frenchexpectant—
3LatinexpectansAlternative form of exspectans
4LatinexpectoAlternative form of exspectō
5Latinspectō—
6Latinspeciō—
7Proto-Italicspekjōto observe, to see
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspéḱyetito be looking at, to keep looking at
9Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →