English
adorable
Adorable comes from Latin adōrābilis ‘worthy of adoration’, and goes back to adōrō ‘to speak to, accost, address’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadōrō‘to speak to, accost, address’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadōrābilis‘worthy of adoration’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600adorable
- Englishearliest quotation 1961same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadōrō‘to speak to, accost, address’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadōrābilis‘worthy of adoration’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600adorable
- Englishearliest quotation 1961same form
Earliest quotation: 1961, Joseph Heller, The Soldier in White: “Nurse Cramer had a cute nose and a radiant,…”
A compound of ad ‘toward, to (direction)’ + ōrō ‘to orate, deliver a speech publicly’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd ‘near, at’
Proto-Italic *ad ‘toward, to, on, up to, for’
Latin ad ‘toward, to (direction)’
Linked words
through Latin adōrō ‘to speak to, accost, address’
Today it means
adj Befitting of being adored; cute or loveable.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin adōrō / adorable