Where does “participle” come from?
Participle comes from Middle English participle, from Old French participle and participe, from Latin participium, a noun formed from particeps meaning "sharing" with the suffix -ium.
participle (English): A form of a verb that may function as an...
Definitions
- A form of a verb that may function as an...
Ancestry of “participle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | participle | — |
| 2 | Old French | participle | — |
| 3 | Latin | participium | a sharing, partaking, participation; participle |
| 4 | Latin | particeps | sharing |
| 5 | Latin | -ceps | -headed; -fold; -catcher |
| 6 | Old Latin | -cipes | "third declension"; Alternative form of -ceps;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -kaputis | -headed |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |