Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “social” come from?

Social comes from Middle French social, from Latin socialis, an adjective formed with the suffix -alis from Latin sequor meaning to follow, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ-.

social (English): Being extroverted or outgoing; Of or relating to...

Definitions

  1. Being extroverted or outgoing; Of or relating to...

Ancestry of “social”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchsocialallied; social
2Latinsociālis—
3Frenchsocialsocial, related to society, community; social,...
4LatinsocialisOf or pertaining to companionship; companionable,...
5Latinsociussharing, joining in, partaking, associated;...
6Ancient Greekπάθοςpain, suffering, death; misfortune, calamity,...
7Ancient Greekπάσχωto undergo, experience; have someone do something...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰendʰ-to bind; bond

Words derived from “social”

  • socially
  • socialist
  • socialization
  • psychosocial
  • antisocial
  • socializing
  • socialize
  • socialistic
  • sociality
  • prosocial
  • biopsychosocial
  • unsocial
  • socialite
  • homosocial
  • asocial
  • postsocialist
  • socialise
  • biosocial
  • nonsocial
  • parasocial
  • homosociality
  • eusocial
  • resocialization
  • macrosocial
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰendʰ- →