Etymograph

English

adventure

Adventure comes from Old French aventure, from Vulgar Latin *adventūra, from Latin adveniō ‘to arrive’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- ‘to come’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to step, come’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷm̥yéti‘to be coming’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷəniō‘to come’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEveniō‘to come’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadveniō‘to arrive’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadventūrus‘about to arrive’
  7. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*adventūra‘what is about to happen’reconstructed
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400aventure‘chance, adventure’
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘adventure; chance’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1849–1861adventure

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to step, come’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷm̥yéti‘to be coming’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷəniō‘to come’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEveniō‘to come’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadveniō‘to arrive’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadventūrus‘about to arrive’
  7. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*adventūra‘what is about to happen’reconstructed
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400aventure‘chance, adventure’
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘adventure; chance’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1849–1861adventure

Earliest quotation: 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, London: Longman: “He loved excitement and adventure.”

Equivalent to advent + -ure

Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- ‘to come, to step’

…

Proto-Italic *gʷəniō ‘to come’

Latin veniō ‘come’

Latin adveniō ‘arrive’

Latin adventus ‘arrival, approach’

English advent

The story

From Middle English aventure, aunter, anter, from Old French aventure, from Vulgar Latin *adventūra, from Latin adventūrus (‘about to arrive, (Vulgar Latin) about to happen’), future active participle of adveniō (‘to arrive’), which in the Romance languages took the sense of "to happen, befall" (see also advene).

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-

Another origin of adventure

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to come, to step’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷm̥yéti‘to come’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gʷəniō‘to come’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEveniō‘come’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadveniōas advenīre‘arrive, come’
  6. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*adventūra‘event, fate, adventure’reconstructed
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400aventure‘event, happening, adventure’
  8. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400aventurer
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aventuren‘to undertake or attempt’
  10. Englishtodayadventure

Today it means

noun A feeling of desire for new and exciting things.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- / adventure

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