Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “utility” come from?

Utility derives from French -ité, Latin -itas, Latin -ilis, and Latin ut through Proto-Indo-European -it-, tracing a suffix chain that built abstract nouns from the root meaning useful.

utility (English): The state or condition of being useful;...

Definitions

  1. The state or condition of being useful;...

Ancestry of “utility”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishutilite—
2Old Frenchutilite—
3Latinūtilitas—
4Latinūtilis—
5Latinūtor—
6Proto-Slavic*ǫtorъ—
7Proto-Slavictorъ—
8Proto-Slavictertito rub, to scrape; to polish
9Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “utility”

  • utilitarian
  • utilitarianism
  • disutility
  • inutility
  • util
  • nonutilitarian
  • nonutility
  • multiutility
  • antiutilitarian
  • utilitarianist
  • utilitarianly
  • utilityman
  • antiutilitarianism
  • nonutilitarianism
  • utilitarianize
  • utilitylike
  • utilitarianise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →