Where does “useful” come from?
Useful derives from Middle English -ful, Old English -ful, and Latin usus from uti, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- and h₃eyt-.
useful (English): Having a practical or beneficial use
Definitions
- Having a practical or beneficial use
Ancestry of “useful”, step by step
useful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English use
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | use | The act of using; The act of consuming alcohol or... |
| 2 | Middle English | use | — |
| 3 | Old French | us | tradition or custom |
| 4 | Latin | ūsus | use, employment, exercise, advantage |
| 5 | Latin | ūtor | to use, make use of, employ |
| 6 | Proto-Slavic | *ǫtorъ | croze |
| 7 | Proto-Slavic | torъ | paddock, pen |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | terti | to rub, to scrape; to polish |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |