Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “quarter-century” come from?

quarter-century (English) comes from English century, from Middle English centurie, from Old French centurie, from Latin centuria, from Latin centum, from Latin folium, from Proto-Italic *foljom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom.

quarter-century (English): A period of twenty-five years

Definitions

  1. A period of twenty-five years

Ancestry of “quarter-century”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcenturyA period of 100 consecutive years; "often...
2Middle Englishcenturiea count of one hundred ; a division of the Roman...
3Old Frenchcenturie—
4Latincenturiacentury, "in its senses as"; any similar...
5Latincentuma hundred; 100
6Latinfoliuma leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper
7Proto-Italic*foljom—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰolh₃yomleaf
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →