Where does “victim” come from?

Victim comes from Middle French victime, from Latin victima, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wey-, a root meaning to separate or divide.

victim (English): One that is harmed—killed, injured, subjected to...

Definitions

  1. One that is harmed—killed, injured, subjected to...

Ancestry of “victim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchvictime
2Latinvictimasacrificial victim
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweyḱ-to enter in; to settle; settlement
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwey-to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;...

Words derived from “victim

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wey-