English
dietary
Dietary comes from Medieval Latin diētārium ‘book prescribing diet’, from Ancient Greek δῐ́αιτα ‘way of living, living space’, and ultimately from διαιτάω ‘to treat, handle’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιαιτάωdiaitáō‘to treat, handle’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδῐ́αιτα‘way of living, living space’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiaeta‘diet’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500diētārium‘book prescribing diet’
- Englishearliest quotation 1837dietary
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδιαιτάωdiaitáō‘to treat, handle’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδῐ́αιτα‘way of living, living space’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiaeta‘diet’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500diētārium‘book prescribing diet’
- Englishearliest quotation 1837dietary
Earliest quotation: 1837, Boz pseudonym; Charles Dickens, Treats of Oliver Twist’s Growth, Education, and Board: “Do I understand that he asked for more, after…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘to give, be given’
young, age, early, era, junior, juvenile, longevity, enigma, ere, juvenal, 24 more
Today it means
noun A regulated diet that excludes or constrains certain types of food, especially for health reasons; also, a book or similar setting out such regulations.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek διαιτάω / dietary