Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “passion” come from?

Passion comes from Middle English passion, from Old French passion, from Latin passio (suffering), derived from passus, past participle of pati and patior (to suffer), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pe(i)-.

passion (English): Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially...

Definitions

  1. Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially...

Ancestry of “passion”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpassionpassion, that which must be endured, suffering,...
2Old Frenchpassionpassion
3Latinpassiō—
4Latin-tiō—
5Latindissertātiō—
6Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
7Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
8Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
9Latincalceusshoe
10Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
11Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “passion”

  • impassioned
  • passionless
  • unimpassioned
  • dispassion
  • passional
  • Passionist
  • passionlessness
  • Passiontide
  • impassion
  • passionlessly
  • dispassioned
  • disimpassioned
  • impassionable
  • passionary
  • empassion
  • unimpassionedly
  • mispassion
  • passion-ridden
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →