Etymograph

English

admire

Admire comes from Latin admīror ‘to admire or respect’, from mīror ‘wonder at’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sméyros ‘laughing, smiling’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sméyros‘laughing, smiling’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*smeirosreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīrus‘remarkable, astonishing’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīror‘wonder at’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadmīror‘to admire or respect’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600admirer
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500admyren
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588admire

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sméyros‘laughing, smiling’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*smeirosreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīrus‘remarkable, astonishing’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmīror‘wonder at’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadmīror‘to admire or respect’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600admirer
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500admyren
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588admire

Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “kings ſhall crouch vnto our conquering ſwords, And hoſtes…”

Linked words

through Latin mīrus ‘remarkable, astonishing’

marvelling, 9 more

through Latin mīror ‘wonder at’

marvel, mirror, miracle, mirage, mirabilis, mirador, 7 more

Today it means

verb To be amazed at; to view with surprise; to marvel at.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sméyros / admire

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