Where does “sayeth” come from?
Sayeth comes from English say, which derives from Anglo-Norman assaier meaning to try or test, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- meaning to drive or act.
sayeth (English): third-person singular simple present indicative...
Definitions
- third-person singular simple present indicative...
Ancestry of “sayeth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | say | To pronounce; To recite; To tell, either verbally... |
| 2 | English | assay | Trial, attempt; Examination and determination;... |
| 3 | Middle English | assay | Examining; investigation, looking into, research;... |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | assaier | Alternative form of essaier |
| 5 | Old French | essai | trial |
| 6 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 7 | Latin | exigō | to drive out; expel |
| 8 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |