Etymograph

English

devise

Devise comes from Vulgar Latin devisō, from Latin dīvīsus ‘divided, separated’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁weydʰh₁-‘to divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiðōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*vidō‘to separate’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvidō‘divide, separate’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvīsusas dīvisō‘divided, separated’
  6. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEdevisō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400deviser
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500devisen
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1503–1512devise

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁weydʰh₁-‘to divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiðōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*vidō‘to separate’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvidō‘divide, separate’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvīsusas dīvisō‘divided, separated’
  6. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEdevisō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400deviser
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500devisen
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1503–1512devise

Earliest quotation: c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood: “Therefore to make complaynt Of such mysadvysed Parsons and…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- ‘to divide’

wood, wide, widow, fid, 11 more

through Latin *vidō ‘to separate’

dividend, 7 more

through Latin dīvidō ‘divide, separate’

individual, divide, divisible, 6 more

through Latin dīvīsus ‘divided, separated’

division, device

Another origin of devise

  1. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600devise
  2. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

verb To use one’s intellect to plan or design (something).

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- / devise

Shirt and support for this word