English
concern
Concern comes from Middle French concerner, from Medieval Latin concernō ‘to distinguish, have respect to’, from Latin concernō ‘to sift together’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcernō‘to mix or sift together’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500same form‘to distinguish, have respect to’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600concerner
- Englishearliest quotation 1611concern
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcernō‘to mix or sift together’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500same form‘to distinguish, have respect to’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600concerner
- Englishearliest quotation 1611concern
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things…”
A compound of concernō ‘to mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve’ + cernō ‘distinguish’
Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sift, separate, divide’
Proto-Italic *krinō ‘to sift, separate’
Latin cernō ‘see, discern’
Latin concernō ‘to mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve’
Proto-Indo-European *krey- ‘to sieve’
Proto-Italic *krinō ‘to sift, separate’
Latin cernō ‘distinguish’
Every English word from Latin concernō
Today it means
noun That which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin concernō / concern