Etymograph

English

divagate

Divagate comes from Latin dīvagātus ‘having wandered, wandering’, and goes back to vagus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvagus‘wandering, roaming’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvagor‘wander’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvagor‘to wander here and there’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvagātus‘having wandered, wandering’perfect active participle of dīvagor
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2010divagate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvagus‘wandering, roaming’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvagor‘wander’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvagor‘to wander here and there’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvagātus‘having wandered, wandering’perfect active participle of dīvagor
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2010divagate

Earliest quotation: 2010, Noah McLaughlin, French War Films and National Identity: “The fallen guillotine blade is replaced with a call…”

first attested First attested in 1599 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin dīvagātus, perfect active participle of dīvagor (‘to wander here and there’) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin dis- (‘in different direction’) + vagor (‘to wander’).

Linked words

through Latin vagus ‘wandering, roaming’

vague, vagus, 8 more

through Latin vagor ‘wander’

vagabond, 4 more

Today it means

verb To wander about.

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

Etymograph / Latin vagus / divagate

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