Where does “patient” come from?
patient (Middle French) comes from Old French pacient, from Latin patiēns, from Latin patior, from Proto-Indo-European peh₁- — to hate, hurt.
Ancestry of “patient”, step by step
patient traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French pacient
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | pacient | — |
| 2 | Latin | patiēns | suffering, enduring |
| 3 | Latin | patior | I suffer, endure; I allow, acquiesce, permit,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₁- | to hate, hurt |
via Old French patient
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | patient | patient |