Where does “incense” come from?
Incense comes from Middle English encens, from Old French encens, from Late Latin incensum, the past participle of Latin incendō meaning to set on fire, composed of the prefix in- and a root ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ne.
incense (English): A perfume used in the rites of various religions;...
Definitions
- A perfume used in the rites of various religions;...
Ancestry of “incense”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | encens | incense; smoke |
| 2 | Old French | encens | incense |
| 3 | Latin | incēnsum | — |
| 4 | Latin | incensus | set on fire; burnt; excited |
| 5 | Latin | incendō | to set on fire, burn, kindle |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |