Where does “modify” come from?

Modify comes from Middle English modifien, from Middle French modifier, from Latin modificare, meaning to limit or regulate, from Latin facio meaning to make, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.

modify (English): To change part of; To be or become modified; To...

Definitions

  1. To change part of; To be or become modified; To...

Ancestry of “modify”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmodifien—
2Middle Frenchmodifier—
3Latinmodificāre—
4Latinmodusmeasure
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmēd-to measure
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmed-to measure; to give advice; healing

Words derived from “modify”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European med- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mēd- →Every word from Latin modus →