Where does “question” come from?
Question derives from Middle English question, from Old French question, from Latin quaestionem, the accusative form of quaestio, from the verb quaerere meaning to seek or ask, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷeh₂-.
question (English): A sentence, phrase or word which asks for...
Definitions
- A sentence, phrase or word which asks for...
Ancestry of “question”, step by step
question traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French questionner
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | questionner | to question, interrogate; to call into question |
| 2 | French | question | a question; a matter or issue; a problem |
| 3 | Old French | question | question (verbal statement intended to elicit a response) |
| 4 | Latin | quaestiō | problem |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |