Where does “exercise” come from?
exercise (Old French) comes from Latin exercitium, from Latin exerceo, from Latin arceo, from Proto-Italic arkeō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂erk- — to protect, guard, hold, lock.
Ancestry of “exercise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | exercitium | exercise, practice |
| 2 | Latin | exerceo | I keep busy, keep at work, drive on; occupy,... |
| 3 | Latin | arceo | I shut up, enclose; box in; I keep off, ward off;... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | arkeō | to contain |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂erk- | to protect, guard, hold, lock |