Where does “example” come from?
example (Middle English) comes from Old French example, from Old French essample, from Latin exemplum, from Latin eximō, from Latin emo, from Proto-Italic emō, from Proto-Indo-European h₁em- — to take; to distribute.
Ancestry of “example”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | example | — |
| 2 | Old French | essample | Alternative form of essainple; example |
| 3 | Latin | exemplum | a sample; an example; a warning example, lesson,... |
| 4 | Latin | eximō | to take out, take away, remove or extract |
| 5 | Latin | emo | I buy, purchase; I acquire, procure |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | emō | to buy, to purchase |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁em- | to take; to distribute |