English
auction
Auction comes from Latin auctiō ‘an increase, auction’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewg-‘to increase, to enlarge’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂owg-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*augeō‘to increase’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugeōas augere‘to increase’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEauctiō‘an increase, auction’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014auction
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewg-‘to increase, to enlarge’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂owg-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*augeō‘to increase’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugeōas augere‘to increase’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEauctiō‘an increase, auction’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014auction
Earliest quotation: 2014, Competition, hammered: “Auctions come in a wide variety. In a “Dutch…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- ‘to increase, to enlarge’
august, nickname, authorize, eke, 8 more
through Proto-Italic *augeō ‘to increase’
authority, auxiliary, augmentation, 5 more
through Latin augeō ‘to increase’
Today it means
noun A public event where goods or property are sold to the highest bidder.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- / auction