Where does “diligent” come from?
diligent (Middle English) comes from Old French diligent, from Latin dīligēns, from Latin dīligō, from Latin legō, from Latin lēx, from Proto-Italic lēg-, from Proto-Indo-European leǵ-s, from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- — to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...
Ancestry of “diligent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | diligent | — |
| 2 | Latin | dīligēns | diligent, careful, attentive |
| 3 | Latin | dīligō | to esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something) |
| 4 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 5 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |