Where does “age” come from?
age (Middle English) comes from Old French aage, from Vulgar Latin aetaticum, from Latin aetās, from Latin aevitās, from Proto-Italic aiwotāts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ey- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
age (Middle English): The age of someone or rarely something; how old someone is
Definitions
- The age of someone or rarely something; how old someone is
Ancestry of “age”, step by step
age traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French aage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | aage | age |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | aetaticum | age |
| 3 | Latin | aetās | the period of a life: lifetime, lifespan |
| 4 | Latin | aevitās | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | aiwotāts | age |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
via Old French eage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | eage | Alternative form of aage |