English
encourage
Encourage comes from Old French encoragier, en- + corage ‘courage’, from Vulgar Latin *corāticum, from Latin cor ‘heart’, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerd-‘heart’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱḗr‘heart’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kord‘heart’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcor‘heart’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*corāticum‘courage, heart’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400corage‘courage’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400encoragier‘to encourage’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400same form‘to encourage’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500encouragen
- Englishearliest quotation 1960encourage
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerd-‘heart’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱḗr‘heart’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kord‘heart’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcor‘heart’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*corāticum‘courage, heart’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400corage‘courage’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400encoragier‘to encourage’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400same form‘to encourage’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500encouragen
- Englishearliest quotation 1960encourage
Earliest quotation: 1960, A. W. Bennett, A Locomotive Shedmaster's Day: “The visitors we do not encourage are the many…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd- ‘heart’
heart, cardiac, creed, myocardium, 6 more
through Proto-Italic *kord ‘heart’
recorder, concordia, discordant, 8 more
through Latin cor ‘heart’
record, accord, discord, concord, cordial, 12 more
through Latin *corem ‘heart’
through Old French corage ‘courage’
Today it means
verb To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱerd- / encourage