Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ideal” come from?

Ideal comes from French idéal, from Late Latin idealis, from Latin idea meaning "form" or "pattern," from Ancient Greek ἰδέα, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyd- meaning "to see."

ideal (English): Optimal; being the best possibility; Perfect,...

Definitions

  1. Optimal; being the best possibility; Perfect,...

Ancestry of “ideal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchidéalideal
2Latinideālis—
3Latinideaidea; prototype
4Ancient Greekἰδέαform, shape; look, appearance, semblance; type,...
5Ancient Greekεἴδωto see; I see
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “ideal”

  • idealism
  • ideally
  • idealization
  • idealize
  • nonideal
  • unideal
  • idealizer
  • idealness
  • idealless
  • overidealize
  • nonideally
  • idealizable
  • pseudoideal
  • hyperideal
  • unidealism
  • coideal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →