Where does “normalcy” come from?
Normalcy derives from English normal, from Latin normalis, combining Latin norma with the Latin adjectival suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- meaning to know.
normalcy (English): The state of being normal; the fact of being...
Definitions
- The state of being normal; the fact of being...
Ancestry of “normalcy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | normal | According to norms or rules or to a regular... |
| 2 | Latin | normālis | perpendicular, square, with right angles |
| 3 | Latin | nōrma | a carpenter’s square |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | γνώμων | interpreter, discerner; carpenter's square;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | γιγνώσκω | I am aware of; I perceive, observe, know, learn;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₃sḱéti | to recognise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |