Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “play” come from?

Play comes from Middle English pleȝen, derived from Latin placitum, the past participle of placere meaning to please or be acceptable.

play (English): To act in a manner such that one has fun; to...

Definitions

  1. To act in a manner such that one has fun; to...

Ancestry of “play”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishpleyeHappiness, mirth, jolliness, or gaiety; Fun,...
2Old Englishpleġaexercise
3Proto-West Germanicplegōcare; an exercise; a game
4Proto-West Germanic-ōCreates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent...
5Proto-Germanic-ô-ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade...
6Proto-Indo-European-ōDerives nouns from roots

Words derived from “play”

  • playing
  • interplay
  • playground
  • playwright
  • screenplay
  • playback
  • replay
  • playmate
  • plaything
  • playhouse
  • playlist
  • foreplay
  • gameplay
  • playboy
  • playroom
  • replaying
  • wordplay
  • PlayStation
  • playtime
  • playfellow
  • photoplay
  • playbook
  • playwriting
  • horseplay
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ō →