English
cherish
Cherish comes from Old French cheriss-, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ‘to desire’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂-‘to desire’root as named · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cheriss-
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500charish
- Englishearliest quotation 1590cherish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂-‘to desire’root as named · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cheriss-
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500charish
- Englishearliest quotation 1590cherish
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto VI: “And by the way, as was her wonted guize,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ‘to desire’
Today it means
verb To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- / cherish