English
congregation
Congregation comes from Latin congregātiō ‘association, society’, from congregō ‘to herd into a flock’, and ultimately from grex.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrex‘a group of smaller animals: a flock, a pack, a swarm (of insects), etc’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgregō‘herd, assemble’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongregō‘to herd into a flock’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongregātiō‘association, society’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400congregacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500congregacioun‘the gathering of people, or a crowd’
- Englishearliest quotation 1813congregation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrex‘a group of smaller animals: a flock, a pack, a swarm (of insects), etc’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgregō‘herd, assemble’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongregō‘to herd into a flock’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcongregātiō‘association, society’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400congregacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500congregacioun‘the gathering of people, or a crowd’
- Englishearliest quotation 1813congregation
Earliest quotation: 1813, Dr. Frank Linwood Bailey, Yellowlegs and Nimble Jacks: “A small congregation of plover hove in sight, at…”
Equivalent to congregate + -ion
Latin grex ‘a group of smaller animals: a flock, a pack,…’
Latin gregō ‘herd, assemble’
Latin congregō ‘to congregate’
Latin congregātus ‘gathered together, congregated’
Middle English congregat(e) ‘(of people) banded together’
English congregate
The story
Adopted (1520s) by the English Bible translator William Tyndale, to render the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “those called together, (popular) meeting”) (hence Latin ecclēsia) in his New Testament, and preferred by 16th century Reformers instead of church.
Linked words
through Latin grex ‘a group of smaller animals: a flock, a pack, a…’
through Latin gregō ‘herd, assemble’
Today it means
noun The act of congregating or collecting together.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin grex / congregation