Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “savage” come from?

savage (Middle English) comes from Old French sauvage, from Vulgar Latin salvaticus, from Latin silvāticus, from Latin -aticus, from Latin -ātus, from Proto-Italic -ātos, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos.

savage (Middle English): savage, barbaric, unmannered, primitive; wild,...

Definitions

  1. savage, barbaric, unmannered, primitive; wild,...

Ancestry of “savage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchsauvagewild; untamed
2Vulgar Latinsalvaticus—
3Latinsilvāticus—
4Latin-aticusUsed to form adjectives indicating a relation to...
5Latin-ātus—
6Proto-Italic-ātos—
7Proto-Indo-European-éh₂tos—

Words derived from “savage”

  • savage
  • salvage
  • savagely
  • salvaging
  • savageness
  • salvageable
  • unsalvageable
  • savagism
  • salvager
  • savagedom
  • semisavage
  • salvageability
  • salvagee
  • savagess
  • unsalvageably
  • unsavage
  • savagize
  • postsalvage
  • salvage
  • salvage
  • salvage
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos →