English
epic
Epic comes from Middle French épique, from Latin epicus, from Greek ἐπικός, from ἔπος ‘word, story’, ultimately from PIE *wekʷ- ‘to speak’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wekʷ-‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wékʷosreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCEsame form‘word, speech’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔποςépos‘word, story’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπικόςepikós
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEepicus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600épique
- Englishearliest quotation 1958epic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wekʷ-‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wékʷosreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCEsame form‘word, speech’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔποςépos‘word, story’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἐπικόςepikós
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEepicus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600épique
- Englishearliest quotation 1958epic
Earliest quotation: 1958, David Gunston, Railways on the Screen: “These epics nearly always had runaway trains, nincompoops floundering…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- ‘to speak’
voice, invite, vocal, invitation, vie, invoke, vox, wight, whit, vouch, invocation, vociferous, 34 more
through Ancient Greek ἔπος ‘word, story’
Another origin of epic
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ep-‘to grab, snatch, get’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁épi‘on’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*epíreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐπίepí‘on top of’
- Englishtodayepic
Today it means
noun An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a deity, demigod (heroic epic), other legend or traditional hero.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- / epic