English
average
Average comes from Middle French avarie ‘damage to ship or cargo’ (+ -age), via Old French from Old Italian avaria; earlier origin uncertain.
- Old Italianmodernavaria
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avarie
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘damage to ship or cargo’
- Englishearliest quotation 1872average
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Italianmodernavaria
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400avarie
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘damage to ship or cargo’
- Englishearliest quotation 1872average
Earliest quotation: 1872, Elliott Coues: “Gulls average much larger than terns, with stouter build…”
first attested Borrowed from Middle French avarie (“damage to ship or cargo”), from Old French avarie, from Old Italian avaria where it is first attested in the 12th century in the context of Mediterranean trade (as stated in the etymology)
The story
The oldest meaning in English is “customs duty”. Borrowed from Middle French avarie (‘damage to ship or cargo’), from Old French avarie, from Old Italian avaria where it is first attested in the 12th century in the context of Mediterranean trade. The English suffix -age was added in analogy to words like damage.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, to take’
doubt, habitat, dubious, endeavor, habitual, gab, javelin, 24 more
through Proto-Italic *habēō
through Latin habeō ‘to have, hold’
able, due, ability, exhibition, habit, prohibition, debit, prohibit, inhibition, inhibit, debenture, habilitation, haver, 21 more
Today it means
noun Any measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old Italian avaria / average