Etymograph

English

festivity

Festivity comes from Latin festīvitas ‘festivity, merriment, joy, mirth’, from fēstus ‘feast-like’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁stos.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁stosreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θēstosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fēstosreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēstus‘feast-like’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīvus
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēstīvus‘joyous, festive’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfestīvitas‘festivity, merriment, joy, mirth’
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600festivité
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500festivite
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1811festivity

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁stosreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θēstosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fēstosreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēstus‘feast-like’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīvus
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēstīvus‘joyous, festive’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfestīvitas‘festivity, merriment, joy, mirth’
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600festivité
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500festivite
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1811festivity

Earliest quotation: 1811, The Literary Panorama: “Other parts of the ceremony have their unpleasantnesses; for…”

Formed from festive + -ity

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁stos

…

Latin fēstus ‘of or pertaining to feasts’

Latin īvus

Latin festivus ‘pertaining to a feast, gay, lively, joyous’

French festif

English festive

Linked words

through Latin fēstus ‘feast-like’

fiesta, fete, fête, 9 more

through Latin īvus

positive, native, naive, naïve, nativity, 12 more

Today it means

noun A festival or similar celebration.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁stos / festivity

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