English
design
Design comes from Latin designō ‘to mark out, point out, describe, design,…’, and goes back to Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnom‘sign’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*segnāōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignō‘to mark’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdesignō‘to mark out’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400designer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500designen
- Englishearliest quotation 1595design
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnom‘sign’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*segnāōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignō‘to mark’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdesignō‘to mark out’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400designer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500designen
- Englishearliest quotation 1595design
Earliest quotation: 1595, The Life and Death of King Richard the Second: “We shall see / Justice design the victor's chivalry.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’
saw, sex, risk, section, ship, sexual, segment, sack, insect, scarlet, sawyer, sealing, sax, het, shingle, sickle, dissect, scythe, seg, sedge, sich, brassica, desiccation, desiccant, 50 more
through Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’
significant, seal, signal, significance, signify, ensign, insignia, signet, sigil, signification, 15 more
through Proto-Italic *segnāō
through Latin signō ‘to mark’
Today it means
noun A specification of an object or process, referring to requirements to be satisfied and thus conditions to be met for them to solve a problem.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *segnom / design