Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “fornicacioun” come from?

fornicacioun (Middle English) comes from Old French fornicacion, from Latin fornicatio, from Latin fornix, from Latin furnus, from Proto-Italic fornos, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰr̥-nós, from Indo-European *gʷʰer-.

Ancestry of “fornicacioun”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfornicacion—
2Latinfornicatiofornication; whoredom, prostitution
3Latinfornixarch, vault; brothel
4Latinfurnusoven; bakery
5Proto-Italicfornos—
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷʰr̥-nós—
7Indo-European*gʷʰer-—

Words derived from “fornicacioun”

  • fornication
Every word from Indo-European *gʷʰer- →