Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “secret” come from?

secret (Old French) comes from Latin sēcrētus, from Ancient Greek ἀγωγός, from Ancient Greek ἄγω, from Proto-Hellenic ágō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.

Ancestry of “secret”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsēcrētus—
2Ancient Greekἀγωγόςleading, guiding; guide, escort; leading to
3Ancient GreekἄγωTo lead, fetch, bring along , take with; To carry...
4Proto-Hellenicágōto lead, to guide
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

Words derived from “secret”

  • secret
  • secretly
  • secreted
  • secreting
  • supersecret
  • semisecret
  • ultrasecret
  • secretness
  • hypersecreting
  • nonsecret
  • nonsecreting
  • unsecret
  • nonsecreted
  • semisecretly
  • unsecreted
  • pseudosecret
  • secretist
  • secret
  • secrète
  • secrètement
  • secrette
  • secret
  • sekret
  • s'gret
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →