Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rhetorician” come from?

Rhetorician comes from Latin -ianus and -ius suffixes applied to Latin rhetor, from Ancient Greek ῥητορική and ῥήτωρ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ser-.

rhetorician (English): An expert or student of rhetoric; An orator or...

Definitions

  1. An expert or student of rhetoric; An orator or...

Ancestry of “rhetorician”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrhetoricSynonym of rhetorical; The art of using language,...
2GermanRhetorikrhetoric
3Middle High Germanrhetorica—
4Latinrhētorica—
5Latinrhētoricus—
6Ancient Greekῥητορικόςconcerning public speaking or oration, rhetorical
7Ancient Greekῥήτωρorator, public speaker; politician, statesman;...
8Ancient GreekεἴρωI tie, join, fasten, string together; I insert;...
9Proto-Hellenicwéřřōto say, to tell
10Proto-Indo-Europeanwéryetito be saying
11Proto-Indo-Europeanwerh₁-to speak, say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- →