Where does “historian” come from?
historian (Middle English) comes from Old French historien, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορία, from Ancient Greek ἱστορέω, from Ancient Greek ἵστωρ, from Proto-Hellenic wístōr, from Proto-Indo-European wéydtōr, from Indo-European *weyd-.
Ancestry of “historian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | historien | — |
| 2 | Latin | historia | history; account; story |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορία | inquiry, examination, systematic observation,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορέω | to inquire, ask; to examine, observe; to record,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἵστωρ | one who knows law and right, judge; witness; a... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | wístōr | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wéydtōr | one who has seen, one who knows |
| 8 | Indo-European | *weyd- | — |