Etymograph

English

coercion

Coercion comes from Latin coërcitiō ‘magisterial coercion’, from arceō ‘to shut in, enclose’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk- ‘to protect’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erk-‘to protect’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂orkéyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*arkeō‘to contain’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarceō‘to shut in, enclose’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcoërceō‘to restrain, coerce’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcoërcitiō‘magisterial coercion’past participle coercitus of coërceō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cohercion
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cohercioun
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1947coercion

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erk-‘to protect’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂orkéyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*arkeō‘to contain’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarceō‘to shut in, enclose’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcoërceō‘to restrain, coerce’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcoërcitiō‘magisterial coercion’past participle coercitus of coërceō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cohercion
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cohercioun
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1947coercion

Earliest quotation: 1947, Harry S. Truman, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum: “One of the primary objectives of the foreign policy…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk- ‘to protect’

ogre, arcane, 4 more

through Latin arceō ‘to shut in, enclose’

ark, arcana, 3 more

Today it means

noun Actual or threatened force for the purpose of compelling action by another person; the act of coercing.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk- / coercion

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