Where does “use” come from?
Use derives from Middle English use, from Old French us, from Latin usus (past participle of uti, to employ or make use of), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃eyt-.
use (English): The act of using; The act of consuming alcohol or...
Definitions
- The act of using; The act of consuming alcohol or...
Ancestry of “use”, step by step
use traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English use
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | use | — |
| 2 | Old French | us | tradition or custom |
| 3 | Latin | ūsus | use, employment, exercise, advantage |
| 4 | Latin | ūtor | to use, make use of, employ |
| 5 | Proto-Slavic | *ǫtorъ | croze |
| 6 | Proto-Slavic | torъ | paddock, pen |
| 7 | Proto-Slavic | terti | to rub, to scrape; to polish |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |