Where does “password” come from?

password (English) comes from English pass, from English passé, from French passé, from French passer, from Middle French passer, from Old French passer, from Vulgar Latin passare, from Latin passus — to hate, hurt.

password (English): A word used to gain admittance or to gain access...

Definitions

  1. A word used to gain admittance or to gain access...

Ancestry of “password”, step by step

password traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English pass

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishpass"To change place."; "To change in state or...
2EnglishpasséDated; out of style; old-fashioned; Past one's...
3Frenchpassépast tense; past; last
4Frenchpasserto go past; to cross; to pass
5Middle Frenchpasserto pass; to go by
6Old Frenchpasserto pass; to pass by
7Vulgar Latinpassareto walk, pass; step, walk, pass; present active...
8Latinpassusspread out; dried; step
9LatinpatiorI suffer, endure; I allow, acquiesce, permit,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₁-to hate, hurt

via English Word

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWordScripture; The Bible; The creative word of God;...
2EnglishworthHaving a value of; proper to be exchanged for;...
3Middle Englishworthto become
4Old Englishweorþworth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,...
5Proto-Germanicwerþazworthy, valuable
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “password”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₁- →Every word from Latin patior →Every word from Latin passus →