Where does “include” come from?

Include comes from Middle English includen, from Latin includo meaning to shut in, composed of the prefix in- and claudus relating to closure, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to shut or enclose.

include (English): To bring into a group, class, set, or total as a (new) part or member

Definitions

  1. To bring into a group, class, set, or total as a (new) part or member

Ancestry of “include”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishincluden—
2Latininclūdōto shut up or in, confine, enclose, imprison, keep in
3Latinīn-un-, non-, not
4Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
5Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
6Proto-Italicenin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “include”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →Every word from Latin īn- →Every word from Proto-Italic en →