English
independent
Independent comes from Middle English independent.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500independent
- Englishearliest quotation 1795same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500independent
- Englishearliest quotation 1795same form
Earliest quotation: 1795, Robert Plumer Ward: “That obligation in general, under which we conceive ourselves…”
Every English word from Middle English independent
Today it means
adj Not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English independent / independent