Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nobody” come from?

Nobody derives from English no and body, with no tracing through English No. and Latin numero to Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne meaning not.

nobody (English): Not any person; the logical negation of somebody;...

Definitions

  1. Not any person; the logical negation of somebody;...

Ancestry of “nobody”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnoNot any; Hardly any; Not any possibility or...
2Middle Englishnoo—
3Middle EnglishnoneAlternative form of nonne; Alternative form of...
4Old Englishnōnnoon; the ninth hour; the ninth hour
5Latinnōna—
6Latinnōnus—
7Latinnovenosaccusative masculine plural of novēnus
8Latinnovemnine; 9; first-person singular present active...
9LatinnovoI make new, renew, refresh; I alter, change;...
10Proto-Italicnowāō—
11Proto-Indo-Europeannéweh₂tito renew
12Proto-Indo-Europeannéwosnew
13Proto-Indo-Europeannew-new; to nod, assent to

Words derived from “nobody”

  • nobodiness
  • nobody's
Every word from Proto-Indo-European new- →