Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “facts” come from?

Facts derives from Latin factum, the past participle of Latin facio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-, meaning to do or make.

facts (English): plural of fact

Definitions

  1. plural of fact

Ancestry of “facts”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfactSomething actual as opposed to invented;...
2EnglishfactnessThe quality of being based on facts; The quality...
3English-nessAppended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the...
4Middle English-nesseAffixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns...
5Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
6Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
7Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
8Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
9Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
10Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
11Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →