Etymograph

English

independence

Independence comes from French indépendant ‘independent’, and goes back to dépendant.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentdépendant
  2. French, derivedc. 1600–presentindépendant‘independent’
  3. French, derivedc. 1600–presentindépendance
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1836independence

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentdépendant
  2. French, derivedc. 1600–presentindépendant‘independent’
  3. French, derivedc. 1600–presentindépendance
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1836independence

Earliest quotation: 1836, – 1837 October, Charles Dickens: “Bob the aforesaid, and his present chances of deriving…”

Formed from in- + de- + pend + -ence

Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’

Proto-Germanic *in ‘into’

English in-

Latin dē ‘of; from’

English de-

Late Latin pendĕre

Middle French pendre ‘to hang’

English pend

Every English word from French dépendant

Today it means

noun The quality or state of being independent; lack of dependence; the state of not being reliant on, or controlled by, others.

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

Etymograph / French dépendant / independence

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