English
college
College comes from Middle English college, from Middle French college, from Old French college, from Latin collēgium ‘colleagueship’, from collēga ‘colleague’, from con- + lēgō ‘to appoint’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx‘law; formal motion for a law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō‘to appoint’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēga‘a partner, colleague’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgium‘colleagueship’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400college‘institution’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600college
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500college
- Englishearliest quotation 1911college
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx‘law; formal motion for a law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō‘to appoint’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēga‘a partner, colleague’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgium‘colleagueship’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400college‘institution’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600college
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500college
- Englishearliest quotation 1911college
Earliest quotation: 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: “The Salii were not limited to Rome; similar colleges…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, lair, lawless, ledger, ledge, lees, lig, underlay, leaguer, lagan, lias, 20 more
through Proto-Indo-European *lḗgʰs
disloyalty, illegality, 8 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lēx ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
lay, legal, loyal, lex, leal, 12 more
through Latin lēgō
election, elite, lesson, select, eligible, lecture, legacy, elect, legend, delegation, elegant, coil, legion, delegate, negligence, negligible, diligent, negligent, cull, legible, lectern, legation, relegate, ineligibility, legate, lector, 30 more
Today it means
noun A specialized division of a university.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / college