English
construct
Construct comes from Latin cōnstrūctus ‘collected together’, from struō ‘to heap up, pile’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to strew, to spread out’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to strew, to spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō‘to heap up, pile’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstruō‘to heap together’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstrūctus‘collected together’
- Englishearliest quotation 1914construct
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to strew, to spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō‘to heap up, pile’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstruō‘to heap together’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnstrūctus‘collected together’
- Englishearliest quotation 1914construct
Earliest quotation: 1914, Ernest Bramah: “The arc of a circle may be very little,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to strew, to spread out’
strain, straw, stray, obstruction, obstruct, perestroika, stripling, misconstrue, 12 more
through Proto-Italic *strowō ‘to pile up’
through Latin struō ‘to heap up, pile’
destroy, structure, instrument, destruction, destructive, instructor, instruct, 6 more
Today it means
noun Something constructed from parts.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *strew- / construct