Etymograph

English

epos

Epos comes from Latin epos ‘an epic, a heroic poem’, from Proto-Hellenic *wékʷos ‘word, speech’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- ‘to speak’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wekʷ-‘to speak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wékʷosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCEsame form‘word, speech’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔποςépos‘word, song, epic’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEepos‘an epic, a heroic poem’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1831same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wekʷ-‘to speak’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wékʷosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCEsame form‘word, speech’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔποςépos‘word, song, epic’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEepos‘an epic, a heroic poem’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1831same form

Earliest quotation: 1831, Thomas Carlyle, Symbols: “Homer’s Epos has not ceased to be true; yet…”

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, song, epic’

epic, 3 more

Another origin of epos

  1. Shastamodernip'-haws‘Perideridia spp. tubers’
  2. Englishtodayepos

Today it means

noun An epic.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- / epos

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