Where does “experience points” come from?
experience points (English) comes from English experience, from Middle English experience, from Latin experientia, from Latin experiens, from Latin experior, from Latin pariō, from Latin -iō, from Proto-West Germanic -jō — he, she.
experience points (English): A system of points which, when a predetermined amount is accumulated by a player character, causes them to level up. This is one of the core mechanics of many role-playing games
Definitions
- A system of points which, when a predetermined amount is accumulated by a player character, causes them to level up. This is one of the core mechanics of many role-playing games
Ancestry of “experience points”, step by step
experience points traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English experience
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | experience | The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced... |
| 2 | Middle English | experience | — |
| 3 | Latin | experientia | a trial, proof, experiment; experimental... |
| 4 | Latin | experiens | testing, trying, experiencing |
| 5 | Latin | experior | I attempt, I try; I test, I put to the test, I... |
| 6 | Latin | pariō | to bear, to give birth to |
| 7 | Latin | -iō | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | -jō | Forms agent nouns from verbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English points
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | points | plural of point; Movable rails which can be used... |
| 2 | English | point | A discrete division of something; A sharp... |
| 3 | Middle English | point | — |
| 4 | Old French | point | a sting; a prick; moment; time; dot |
| 5 | Latin | pūnctum | point |
| 6 | Latin | punctus | pricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;... |
| 7 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |