Where does “use” come from?

use (Middle English) comes from Old French us, from Latin ūsus, from Latin ūtor, from Proto-Slavic *ǫtorъ, from Proto-Slavic torъ, from Proto-Slavic terti, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

Ancestry of “use”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchustradition or custom
2Latinūsususe, employment, exercise, advantage
3Latinūtorto use, make use of, employ
4Proto-Slavic*ǫtorъcroze
5Proto-Slavictorъpaddock, pen
6Proto-Slavictertito rub, to scrape; to polish
7Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “use”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →