Where does “society” come from?
Society comes from Old French societé, from Latin societas (association of people), derived from socius (companion), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root sekʷ- meaning to follow.
society (English): A long-standing group of people sharing cultural...
Definitions
- A long-standing group of people sharing cultural...
Ancestry of “society”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | societé | society |
| 2 | Old French | societé | society; association; council; group; society;... |
| 3 | Latin | societās | society, fellowship, partnership, association, community, union; affinity a union for a common purpose |
| 4 | Latin | socius | sharing, joining in, partaking, associated;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πάθος | pain, suffering, death; misfortune, calamity,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πάσχω | to undergo, experience; have someone do something... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰendʰ- | to bind; bond |