English
colleague
Colleague comes from Middle French collegue ‘co-worker’, from Latin collēga ‘a partner in office’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx‘law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō‘to send on an embassy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēga‘a partner in office’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600collegue‘co-worker’
- Englishearliest quotation 2013colleague
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx‘law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō‘to send on an embassy’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēga‘a partner in office’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600collegue‘co-worker’
- Englishearliest quotation 2013colleague
Earliest quotation: 2013, A punch in the gut: “Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial.[…]Research over the past few…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, ledger, lair, ledge, lawless, lees, lig, underlay, lias, lagan, leaguer, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *lḗgʰs
disloyalty, illegality, 6 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lēx ‘law’
legal, lay, loyal, lex, relegate, leal, 10 more
through Latin lēgō ‘to send on an embassy’
election, elite, collection, lesson, select, legend, legacy, eligible, lecture, elect, delegation, elegant, collective, legion, negligence, delegate, coil, negligent, collector, negligible, diligent, cull, legible, legation, legate, lectern, ineligibility, lector, 26 more
through Latin collēga ‘a partner in office’
Today it means
noun A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / colleague