Etymograph

English

confederate

Confederate comes from Middle English confederat(e) ‘confederated, allied, associated in a plot’, from Late Latin cōnfoederō ‘to unite or join by a league’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰós‘faithful, trustworthy’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feiðos‘faithful, reliable’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoedus
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoederō‘to seal or ratify an agreement or treaty’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcōnfoederōas cōnfoederātus‘to unite or join by a league’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500confederat(e)‘confederated, allied, associated in a plot’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1594confederate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰós‘faithful, trustworthy’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feiðos‘faithful, reliable’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoedus
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoederō‘to seal or ratify an agreement or treaty’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcōnfoederōas cōnfoederātus‘to unite or join by a league’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500confederat(e)‘confederated, allied, associated in a plot’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1594confederate

Earliest quotation: c. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Comedie of Errors: “By'th'vvay, vve met my vvife, her ſiſter, and a…”

Equivalent to con- + federate

Latin cum ‘with’

English con-

first attested First attested in 1387 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested in 1387, in Middle english; inherited from Middle English confederat(e) (‘confederated, allied, associated in a plot; united or bound, as in friendship or troth’), borrowed from Late Latin cōnfoederātus perfect passive participle of cōnfoederō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’

confidence, confident, abide, affidavit, fidelity, defiance, fiduciary, bode, foi, confidant, fealty, bide, infidel, confide, diffident, perfidy, 23 more

through Proto-Italic *feiðos ‘faithful, reliable’

defy, federally, federalist, federalism, 12 more

through Latin foedus

federal, 16 more

through Latin foederō ‘to seal or ratify an agreement or treaty’

federation, 1 more

Another origin of confederate

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰós‘faithful, trustworthy’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*feiðos‘faithful, reliable’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoedus
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfoederō‘to seal or ratify an agreement or treaty’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcōnfoederōas cōnfoederātus‘to unite or join by a league’
  7. Englishtodayconfederate

First attested in 1531; borrowed from Late Latin cōnfoederātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Today it means

adj Of, relating to, or united in a confederacy

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- / confederate

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