Etymograph

English

forensic

Forensic comes from Latin forēnsis ‘of the forum, public’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰwór-o-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰwór-o-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θworomreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fworomreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*forom‘forum’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEforum‘forum, marketplace’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEforēnsis‘of the forum, public’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1851forensic

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰwór-o-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θworomreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fworomreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*forom‘forum’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEforum‘forum, marketplace’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEforēnsis‘of the forum, public’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1851forensic

Earliest quotation: 1851, Edward Shepherd Creasy, Chapter V: “Varus trusted implicitly […] to the interest which they…”

Formed from forēnsis ‘of the forum, public’ + -ic

Linked words

through Latin forum ‘forum, marketplace’

forum, fora, 4 more

Today it means

adj Relating to the use of science and technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence in a court of law.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰwór-o- / forensic

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