Etymograph

English

constancy

Constancy comes from Latin cōnstantia ‘firmness, steadiness, constancy, perseverance’, from cōnstō ‘to stand together’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *komstaēō.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*komstaēō‘to stand together’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstōas cōnstāre, present-participle stem‘to stand together’next step skipped: Latin present-participle
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstantia‘firmness, steadiness, constancy, perseverance’
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605constancy

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*komstaēō‘to stand together’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstōas cōnstāre, present-participle stem‘to stand together’next step skipped: Latin present-participle
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstantia‘firmness, steadiness, constancy, perseverance’
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605constancy

Earliest quotation: c. 1604–1605, William Shakespeare, All’s Well, that Ends Well: “[…] yonger ſpirits, […] whoſe conſtancies Expire before their…”

Linked words

through Latin cōnstō ‘to stand together’

cost, inconstant, 4 more

Today it means

noun The quality of being constant; steadiness or faithfulness in action, affections, purpose, etc.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *komstaēō / constancy

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