Etymograph

English

charity

Charity comes from Old French charité ‘charity, love’, from Latin cāritās ‘dearness’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ‘to desire’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂-‘to desire’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kéh₂rosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kāros‘dear’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcārus‘dear’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcāritās‘dearness’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400charité‘charity’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500charite
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1611charity

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂-‘to desire’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kéh₂rosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kāros‘dear’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcārus‘dear’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcāritās‘dearness’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400charité‘charity’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500charite
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1611charity

Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ‘to desire’

cherish, kama, whorehouse, 4 more

through Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ros

whore, 2 more

through Latin cārus ‘dear, expensive’

caress, 2 more

Today it means

noun An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- / charity

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