English
despair
Despair comes from Latin despero ‘to have no hope of’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- ‘to succeed, to prosper’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*speh₁-‘to succeed, to prosper’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*spéh₁sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*spēs‘hope’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEspēs
- Old Latin, derivedc. 700–75 BCE*spēsōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspērō‘to hope, expect’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdesperoas dēspērō‘to have no hope of’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400despeir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dispeir
- Englishearliest quotation 1611despair
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*speh₁-‘to succeed, to prosper’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*spéh₁sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*spēs‘hope’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEspēs
- Old Latin, derivedc. 700–75 BCE*spēsōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspērō‘to hope, expect’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdesperoas dēspērō‘to have no hope of’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400despeir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dispeir
- Englishearliest quotation 1611despair
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “We despaired even of life.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- ‘to succeed, to prosper’
speed, spare, spatial, prosper, spat, 4 more
through Latin spērō ‘to hope, expect’
esperanza, esperance, desperado, 1 more
through Latin despero ‘to have no hope of’
Today it means
verb To give up as beyond hope or expectation; to despair of.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- / despair