English
condescend
Condescend comes from Old French condescendre ‘to descend, go down’, from Proto-Italic *kom- ‘together’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm ‘beside, near, by, with’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱóm‘beside, near, by, with’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kom‘with, along, at’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*kom-‘together’reconstructed
- Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500condēscendere
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400condescendre‘to descend, go down’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500condescenden
- Englishearliest quotation 1528condescend
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱóm‘beside, near, by, with’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kom‘with, along, at’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*kom-‘together’reconstructed
- Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500condēscendere
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400condescendre‘to descend, go down’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500condescenden
- Englishearliest quotation 1528condescend
Earliest quotation: 1528, John Strype, Gregory di Casale]: “[H]is Ho[liness] hath, & contynually doth deſire them vvith…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *skend- ‘to jump up, ascend’
scale, scan, slander, scala, echelon, ascension, skein, ascendant, 14 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱe ‘Deictic particle, here’
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm ‘beside, near, by, with’
among, gain, comply, hind, likeness, kata, limbed, 31 more
through Proto-Italic *kom ‘with, along, at’
cum, consideration, cue, 14 more
through Proto-Italic *kom- ‘together’
competition, consider, conference, counter, concrete, consistent, con, commodity, compulsory, compel, contra, concierge, connotation, condiment, 15 more
Today it means
verb To come down or go down; to descend.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm / condescend