English
congestion
Congestion comes from Latin congestĭō ‘heap, accumulation’, from gerō ‘carry’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gezō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgerō‘carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongerō‘to bring together, accumulate, heap up’next step skipped: Latin congestus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongestĭō‘heap, accumulation’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500congestioun
- Englishearliest quotation 1959congestion
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gezō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgerō‘carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongerō‘to bring together, accumulate, heap up’next step skipped: Latin congestus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongestĭō‘heap, accumulation’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500congestioun
- Englishearliest quotation 1959congestion
Earliest quotation: 1959, C. R. Clinker and R. A. Dane, The Railways of Peterborough: “The crossing caused serious congestion with long traffic hold-ups,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
act, actual, active, activity, action, agency, actor, agent, strategy, suggest, agenda, essay, acre, activate, ambiguous, squat, agile, agony, ambiguity, agility, assay, agrarian, antagonist, axiom, radium, actuator, agitation, antagonism, agitate, agonist, antagonize, digestion, cogent, samaj, inexact, glucagon, digestible, actuate, stratagem, exigent, 141 more
through Proto-Italic *gezō ‘to carry, bear’
through Latin gerō ‘carry’
register, gesture, suggestion, digest, belligerent, progesterone, gestation, ingest, agger, gerund, 16 more
Today it means
noun An accumulation or buildup, the act of gathering into a heap or mass.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / congestion