Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retired” come from?

Retired comes from English tire, which derives from Middle French re- and Old French re-, both from Latin re-, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots der- and wer-.

retired (English): Secluded from society ; private, quiet; Of a...

Definitions

  1. Secluded from society ; private, quiet; Of a...

Ancestry of “retired”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishretireTo stop working on a permanent basis, usually...
2Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
3Middle Englishre-—
4Old Frenchre-re-
5Latinrĕ-—
6Latinprōdūcō—
7Latinprō-—
8Proto-Italic*pro-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “retired”

  • semiretired
  • retiredness
  • unretired
  • nonretired
  • preretired
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →