Where does “sacrament” come from?
sacrament (Middle High German) comes from Latin sacrāmentum, from Latin sacrō, from Latin sacer, from Proto-Indo-European sh₂krós, from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k- — sacred.
Ancestry of “sacrament”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | sacrāmentum | a sum of money deposited in pledge by two individuals involved in a suit, the money of the loser in the suit being used for religious purposes |
| 2 | Latin | sacrō | to declare or set apart as sacred; consecrate, dedicate, hallow or devote; sanctify, enshrine |
| 3 | Latin | sacer | sacred, holy, dedicated (to a divinity), consecrated, hallowed |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | sh₂krós | sacred |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂k- | sacred |