Etymograph

English

achieve

Achieve comes from Middle English achieven, from Old French achever ‘to finish’, from a chief ‘to a head, to an end’, ultimately from Latin caput ‘head’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput‘head’
  2. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*capus‘head’reconstructed
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chief‘end; head’
  4. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400achever‘to accomplish, finish’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500achieven‘to accomplish’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1513achieve

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput‘head’
  2. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*capus‘head’reconstructed
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chief‘end; head’
  4. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400achever‘to accomplish, finish’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500achieven‘to accomplish’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1513achieve

Earliest quotation: 1513, Thomas More, The Pittifvll Life of King Edward the Fifth: “[T]here could not be a more cruell Tyrant appointed…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kap-

had, case, head, except, capital, heavy, cash, captain, behavior, receive, escape, accept, catch, capable, cable, heavily, capacity, chapter, capture, cape, recipe, reception, chase, occupation, perception, cattle, cabin, capitol, chef, haven, capita, chapel, hawk, behave, recipient, anticipation, anticipate, caption, capsule, susceptible, 177 more

Today it means

verb To carry out or conclude (something, as a task) successfully; to accomplish.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin caput / achieve

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