English
druid
Druid comes from Latin druidae, and goes back to Proto-Celtic *druwits.
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*druwitsreconstructed
- Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CEsame formreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdruidae
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400druide
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame formby way of Latin Druidae
- Englishtodaydruid
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*druwitsreconstructed
- Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CEsame formreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdruidae
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400druide
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame formby way of Latin Druidae
- Englishtodaydruid
The story
Borrowed from French druide, from Old French, via Latin Druidae, from Gaulish *druwits, from Proto-Celtic *druwits (literally either “oak-knower” or “firm knower, great sage”), from either Proto-Indo-European *dóru (‘tree’) or *drew- (‘solid, firm, hard’) and *weyd- (‘to see, to have knowledge’) (whence also English wizard; Proto-Slavic *vědьma (> Russian ве́дьма (védʹma))). The earliest record of the term in Latin is by Julius Caesar in the first century B.C. in his De Bello Gallico. The native Celtic word for "druid" is first attested in Latin texts as druides (plural) and other texts also employ the form druidae (akin to the Greek form).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’
story, guy, video, review, visit, idea, evidence, provide, advice, interview, vision, witness, wise, historic, wisdom, guide, visa, advise, invisible, wit, wizard, historian, visibility, evident, vista, idol, witty, revise, envious, guise, prudent, steroid, revue, improvise, tabloid, jurisprudence, avis, prudence, purview, twit, 120 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dóru ‘tree’
tree, trough, dory, dinghy, larch, dendritic, dendrite, 5 more
Today it means
noun One of an order of priests among certain groups of Celts before the adoption of Abrahamic religions.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *druwits / druid