Where does “pandemic” come from?
Pandemic derives from Ancient Greek πάνδημος, combining πάν- (all) and δῆμος (people, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂-, to protect or guard).
pandemic (English): Of a disease: epidemic over a wide geographical...
Definitions
- Of a disease: epidemic over a wide geographical...
Ancestry of “pandemic”, step by step
pandemic traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin pandēmus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pandēmus | affecting all the people, public, general |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πᾶν | neuter nominative singular of πᾶς; neuter... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὀπτικός | of or relating to seeing, sight or vision: optic,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὄψις | view |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὄψ | voice; word; eye, face |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | wókʷs | voice |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |
via French pandémique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | pandémique | Pandemic |
via Catalan pandèmia
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalan | pandèmia | pandemic |